After the Darkness
by Black Mantle
Summary: [SatAM + Shadow + Rouge/Sequel of ''The Darkness of Chaos''] Robotnik may be gone, but that doesn't mean all is well.
1. Preface

**After the Darkness**

**A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by Black Mantle**

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Preface**_

July 1, 2003

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!

I figured that the 136th anniversary of the country I call home would be a perfect time to start posting my latest fan-fiction. It's a bit unfortunate that I'm not finished it yet and probably won't for another week, but I thought you would at least like to see the first chapter, a teaser if you will to turn all of you readers into slobbering dogs.

"After the Darkness" is a sequel to my previous tale, "The Darkness of Chaos". Because the events in this story directly follow the previous, I am starting the count from Act VI (DoC ended at Act V) and I will also be including a quick summary of the original to refresh your memory.

**Black Mantle**

July 5, 2003

Here's the second chapter of Act VI, and I'm throwing in a summary of The Darkness of Chaos just in case you haven't read it or need a refresher of what happened. For those who remember the original, I posted it at a rate of one chapter a day, and one act a month; however, I will not be able to post at such a rate this time around. The problem is that I now have a full time job, and just can't spare the hours needed to write and edit a story to post at that speed. I figure I'll be posting one chapter on any day I have free, like weekends; so I'll have Chapter 3 tomorrow and Chapter 4 will be next Saturday, and so on… As for posting an act a month, I'm hoping to keep that up.

Also, I've noticed that has changed the way it formats HTML and I now have to fix the way my stories appear. Thankfully, the change doesn't affect old stories, just new ones that have been added. Also, they're altering their policies regarding PG-13 to NC-17 rated stories, and in order to view these stories, you have to log in first. In my opinion, this is much better than simply banning stories like did. I don't think they have it in place yet, but it should work great once they do.

**Black Mantle**

July 6, 2003

Here's Chapter 3. I'm glad that some of you have already reviewed it, even though you all basically said "more, more, more." I'm writing Chapter 4 now and I should have it finished by next weekend.

**Black Mantle**

July 13, 2003

I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Anyway, when I was nearly finished the last chapter, I was horribly displeased with how it was turning out; so I cut out Omochao's monologue, and tossed in the odd "letters" bit to give you something amusing to read.

Here's Chapter 5, where we get back into the thick of the story. Expect Chapter 6 and 7 next weekend.

**Black Mantle**

July 20, 2003

I was hoping to have Chapter 6 up yesterday, but I've been sick, and it's rather difficult to use a computer when your eyes are watering. So here's Chapter 6, and I should have 7 up tomorrow. I have also figured out what's been going on at FanDomination and I hope to fix my stories soon. However, they're running out of donations and may be shutting down if they don't get some bread in the next couple weeks.

**Black Mantle**

July 29, 2003

A brief update.

That "real life" thing can be a major pain in the ass; and after getting hit with the flu and a major ramp up at work, I wasn't able to finish Act 6 when I had planned. I finished writing Chapter 8, but I still have to edit and spell check it, so it won't be posted until tomorrow at the earliest; and I hope that Chapter 9 will be done very soon and posted by week's end.

To the one person who wrote and complained, I would have preferred something that sounded nicer; anybody who uses more than one exclamation mark is clearly not trying to be nice. I should have made an earlier post to explain the situation; but if you're one of those people who were bitching at WPP about the slow release of their fansubs, prepare to get a good punch to the head.

**Black Mantle**

July 30, 2003

As I said, I finished Chapter 8 and am now posting it. Also, Chapter 9 is on it's way and should be done by the end of the week; I'm hoping for Friday, but it might be Saturday or Sunday.

**Black Mantle**

August 2, 2003

The first act of After the Darkness is complete, save for the disaster called Chapter 4 that I scrapped. I have no idea when Act 7 will come out due to my busy schedule, but I'm aiming for the end of August; there are no guarantees, so don't complain if I don't get it done by then.

**Black Mantle**

August 8, 2003

Whoops, forgot to post the rest of it on One of these days, I'm going to sit down and reformat all these chapters to display better on FD.

**Black Mantle**

August 25, 2003

Finally, here comes Act 7; and I plan to post a chapter a day, like I did back in the _Darkness of Chaos_ days. I'm hoping that I can get into the old Act-a-month groove I had before the summer when I was in school, since I am heading back to my third year of university; but this guy I worked with said the 3rd year's the toughest, hopefully he's exaggerating.

Onto the business at hand; like the previous, this act is about cleaning up some of the loose ends left over from DoC. The story is pretty much written as a first draft and needs to be edited, but provided I can get a solid hour or so each night from now until the weekend, it should be finished and posted within a week.

On a side note, I think I've got the FanDomination encoding figured out; but just as I was about to post this, I found that the site is experiencing technical difficulties.

**Black Mantle**

August 29, 2003

Here's the last chapter of Act 7. I know it's only about a page long, I suppose I could've posted this yesterday with Chapter 4, but I almost didn't get that one done last night, so quit complaining.

Anyway, onto some happier news. My summer job is over, and although that means university starts in less than a week, I prefer school to work. I told this guy I work with it was like 4 months of torture and 8 months of vacation.

Also, in honor of being out of the old bump and grind, I picked up Soul Calibur II for my GameCube. I had the original for the DreamCast, and I can say this is the most fun I've had with a video game since Tekken Tag Tournament on the PS2. It's not surprising that all three games are from Namco, these guys made the legendary Pac-man after all. (Pac-man is hyphenated, but I'm not sure if the "m" is capitalized or not.)

Finally, this whole act was a bit different from the last 6, primarily because the intense action went from physical to emotional. The next act will be a bit like this one, and then I'll be getting to more destruction and mayhem in Act 9. Expect those sometime in September and October respectively.

Oh, and one last thing: Hey Magnus, Omochao's been looking for you.

**Black Mantle**

September 15, 2003

Just a brief update to keep everyone on track. September's half over, and Act 8 is half done; the major thing slowing me down isn't school, or getting caught up with my video game addiction, or this book I'm reading—Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield"—but I find myself writing parts of Act 9 at the same time.

I also want to thank those who've reviewed not only _After the Darkness_, but _the Darkness of Chaos_ as well.

Just a few comments about the most recent twist in the Shadow/Rouge/Bunnie bit. First, I wouldn't characterize Bunnie the same way as Rouge, she's more like Amy; she isn't some "low bred hussy" who'd sleep with him on a moment's notice, but with Rouge as competition, she had to go for desperate measures to try and keep up. And as for Web Freak's comment: hands up everybody out there who thought about an S-R-B threesome; seriously now, who out there already thought of it?

**Black Mantle**

January 9, 2004

It's been awhile, but I finally finished Act 8. I had the first draft done a couple of days ago, but went back and rewrote some parts. Here's the first part, the rest will be posted over the weekend.

is undergoing some upgrades, and frankly it looks great, but some of the posting functions are disabled. Until they're finished I won't be posting this on that site, because part of what's now disabled is the multi-chapter option.

Anyway, on to some other things. In case you haven't heard, UbiSoft is having a fire sale; if you buy _Prince of Persia_ (PS2, GCN, Xbox) you will get _Splinter Cell_ for FREE. Not only that, but after abysmal sales they've slashed the price of their adventure title _Beyond Good & Evil_ to $20. I've heard of some places selling it for as low as $10, but the only place I've seen it around here was selling at $35 CND, which by today's exchange rate is about $27 USD. I'll check the WalMart this weekend and see what they're going to charge me.

On a strange note, my PS2 has been getting quite a bit of play recently, and no it's not _FFX-2_ that's got me breaking that sucker out of the closet, it's _.hack_. With the low price of the first couple games, I've been playing through _.hackInfection_, and am now moving onto _.hackMutation_. This is an excellent game, and while the graphics and sound are nowhere near the spit and polish of Square-Enix's stuff, the gameplay wins hands down; therefore, **_Final Fantasy_ SUCKS!!!**

I also heard that there's now a card game based on _.hack_. I personally am not into those, but maybe I'll pick up a deck as a lark.

**Black Mantle**

January 10, 2004

Here's Chapter 2, and you might notice something; it's BLOODY HUGE!

O.K. So maybe it's not HUGE, but it is the single biggest chapter in this entire story. I really had no initial plan as to where to place the chapters, so I wrote the story as one long block, and segmented after; usually I know exactly where I want the chapter breaks and what events happen in each before writing. As it turns out, the whole act is the same length as Act 7; but because of the larger chapters, it only has three, as opposed to five.

The rest of the story will be up tomorrow.

**Black Mantle**

January 11, 2004

And this is the end of the long delayed Act 8; I hope you enjoyed it. I've already started on Act 9, and I have no idea when it'll be ready; however, this recent experience has taught me a few things. First, I'm going to try to update regularly, even if it is nothing more than an update to the main page to tell how things are going and that I haven't stopped writing. Second, if you want to ask when the next act is or why I haven't updated, do not use the review system; my e-mail is given on my author page, so e-mail me directly and ask.

**Black Mantle**

March 20, 2004

I'm back! Here it is, Act 9 of _After the Darkness_, and its a doozy; this is going to be my longest Shadow the Hedgehog story yet.

**Black Mantle**

March 23, 2004

I'm just wondering, is there anybody other than VOID99 reading my fics, or are you all just waiting for the end before reviewing; that's fine, it's like reviewing a movie after only seeing half of it. Besides, the really good stuff is coming up later; this is just the setup.

3 chapters in 3 days, and the fourth is due later today. As with previous chapters, I'll be posting a chapter a day until it's done (around the end of the month). Mind you, because of my schedule, some chapters will be up early in the morning while others will appear in the late evening; so unless you check at the very end of the day, there's no guarantee that it'll be up yet.

**Black Mantle**

March 24, 2004

Chapter 5 is now up, and if you're waiting for some action, you won't have to wait too much longer; Chapter 6 is when things start to "heat" up, something that was phrased by Mortal Kombat's Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) quite well as "a taste of things to come". So I don't know who coined that phrase, but that was the only place where I could remember someone saying it.

As per VOID99's comment, Shadow never beat the Chronhorod, the best he could do was hold them at bay, so his lack of confidence in his skills is not unfounded. And it's nice to hear from Red Sonic again, a great writer; as for a possible last name for our dark hero, I was thinking of "Hefner". Yeah, it was a dumb joke.

**Black Mantle**

March 25, 2004

Here's Chapter 6, where the fun starts.

Firefly11 noted that I hadn't updated my site in a while; sadly this is true. The reason I stopped updating there was the site was under maintenance and some of the posting functions were disabled; it has since been fixed, so I have some catching up to do. I have just posted Act 8 and I should get Act 9 up this weekend.

**Black Mantle**

March 27, 2004

Here's Chapter 8. I do have something to say about these last two chapters, I spent almost an hour debating where to break them. My original intent was to break them where the dragons attack, which is the version that I posted; but I noticed that Chapter 7 was running a bit long and Chapter 8 was a bit short, so I considered cutting it between the time Shadow goes to sleep and when he wakes up the next morning. If anybody thinks I should have broken up the chapters in that place or if I should leave it as is, tell me; I'd like to know.

**Black Mantle**

March 31, 2004

Long story short, Chapter 12 is going to be late; whether it's late tonight or tomorrow, I'm not sure. All I'll say is that this is _not_ some April Fool's joke. The reason for this delay is that I was reviewing Chapter 11 the night before last, and decided to rewrite a fair part of it and Chapter 12; thus delaying everything. The time I should have spent touching up Chapter 12 was used for rewriting Chapter 11, and Chapter 12 is being rewritten today. Fortunately, everything after Chapter 12 is done, and unlikely to change… much.

**Black Mantle**

April 1, 2004

I hope you didn't mind the wait too much, but here's Chapter 12, and Chapter 13 will be up later this evening.

I don't know if any of you were expecting an April Fool's joke—which I normally hate—but here's a good one for you: I'm not writing any more.

Good one, huh? But to be serious, I'm going to be focusing on other things like my finals and searching for a job, so for the month of April, I will not be writing anything. Until May rolls around, don't expect to hear anything from me; although I will still be reading e-mail if you have any questions, other than "when are you going to write some more?". If you e-mail me that, I will magically transport Omochao through the Internet right to your computer where he will kill you horribly, or talk to you until he drives you insane.

**Black Mantle**

September 1, 2004

I'm Back! It's been five months, but I'm finally back, and posting Act X of After the Darkness. No, this won't be an action-packed extravaganza like Act IX, but I hope you like it anyway. If this first part seems a bit short, it'll get bettet later on; this is more of an intro.

**Black Mantle**


	2. Summation of The Darkness of Chaos

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Summation of "The Darkness of Chaos"**_

Shadow the Hedgehog; a dark and twisted creature arrives in the Great Forest, looking for the famous Sonic the Hedgehog. Shadow wants to prove that he is the fastest thing alive and challenges Sonic to a race. He narrowly loses, but before Shadow can challenge him to a rematch, Sonic splits, saying he's got other business to attend to. Shadow tries to find him, but on the way runs into a local farm girl named Bunnie. The two talk for a minute, revealing that Shadow isn't quite as warped as he originally appeared, but he heads out to find Sonic again.

He tracks Sonic down at a river where he finds the blue one in a battle with some of Robotnik's drones. He challenges Sonic again, but leaves when some of Sonic colleagues come too close. Realizing that Shadow will only cause trouble, Sonic goes after him. Along the way, he runs into a troop of Robotnik's robots and charges into battle. Soon the battle gets a bit too hot and Sonic tries to make a break for it. But he gets pinned in by reinforcements, and is shot.

Shadow senses something wrong and heads out, finding the spot where Sonic met his end. Enraged, the black one attacks and destroys the remaining robots. Eventually a scouting party from Knothole finds the body and brings it back. Shadow follows them to see the despair Sonic's death has brought to Knothole, especially princess Sally. After the funeral, Shadow has a few words for his nemesis, and leaves after a brief exchange with Geoffrey.

Shadow heads out, ready to leave the Great Forest when he ends up back in Bunnie's carrot patch; but this time, it's under siege by robots. He destroys the robots and looks for Bunnie, only to discover that one of the robots bears a very close resemblance to the rabbit. The emptiness left with having his rival stolen from him, combined with the sight before him was enough to drive him to despair. In the process, a Chaos Emerald, which he was unknowingly in possession of, shatters, giving him the Chaos Control power. The Chaos Control reverses Bunnie's roboticization, but she's very weak, so Shadow takes her to Knothole. After getting some help for her, Shadow finds out about Robotnik's army, and heads out for revenge.

En Route to collecting some Power Rings to energize his Chaos Control, Shadow has a brief encounter with a treasure hunter named Rouge. After a few words, Shadow heads off to battle. He eventually finds Geoffrey and a group from Knothole engaging the robots, and losing badly. Using his Chaos Control, Shadow charges in and lays ruin to the lot of them. Geoffrey and Shadow have a brief argument, but soon, Shadow agrees to help them.

Shadow returns to Knothole with Geoffrey and is formally introduced to Sally. He soon heads out to check on Bunnie who is resting well in the hospital. With the recent influx of wounded, Shadow has to take Bunnie to the barracks where they can get some sleep. Sally comes in to talk with Shadow, and they talk about recent events, eventually coming to how despondent Sally was over Sonic's loss.

After the first battle, Sally, Shadow and Geoffrey meet to discuss the war, but a problem is revealed, Shadow requires Power Rings to use his Chaos Control, lots of them. Realizing that there is no way to get the necessary power supply on their own, Shadow heads out to find Rouge, hoping that she'll help. Although she listens to his plead, she isn't overly interested, and demands a huge payment for her services.

Shadow returns to Knothole to ask Sally about paying Rouge; eventually, they work out a possible offer, and a solution to the current housing situation. Shadow returns to Rouge to tell her the offer, and she agrees to meet with Sally. After Shadow leaves, Rouge reveals that she is already under the employ of Dr. Robotnik, and is setting up a trap for the two.

Rouge and Sally meet, and the princess has a test for the bat to perform. She does well, but Sally isn't impressed. The two argue and Rouge decides to spring the trap, catching Sally and Shadow. While gloating, she discovers that the princess and Shadow are fakes, and it's Rouge who is now in the trap. Displeased with her failure, Robotnik orders his robots to throw Rouge in the roboticizer, but Shadow arrives to destroy the robots and free Rouge.

Sally and a troop from Knothole salvage parts from the roboticizer and Shadow again requests Rouge to help them. Now wanting revenge against Robotnik, Rouge joins, but her interest is keenly focused on the hedgehog.

Rotor uses the parts from the roboticizer to create a deroboticizer. Once finished, Shadow goes out to find one of Dr. Robotnik's victims to test it on. He tracks down some robots and eventually defeats them, unknowing that he is being watched. Before he can collect one, he is approached by Knuckles.

Knuckles tells Shadow that he wants his Chaos Emerald, and when he refuses, Knuckles challenges Shadow. Shadow tries to use his Chaos Control, only to find that Knuckles possesses a similar power that is more powerful. Realizing that he can't win, Shadow makes a break for it and barely escapes with his life.

Shadow returns to Knothole hoping to get some rest, but gets none when he encounters one of Sonic's biggest fans, Amy Rose. Amy doesn't know about Sonic's death and thinks that Shadow is Sonic. After a commotion between her, Shadow and Rouge leave the hedgehog more injured than before, he takes Amy to see Sonic's grave, leaving her heart broken.

Amy recovers and decides there's only one thing to do: start a Shadow the Hedgehog fan club. Shadow is not pleased and finds Amy more annoying than before. Tails eventually breaks up the routine when he tells Shadow of a strange sight. The two set out with Rouge in tow and eventually find themselves looking up at a flying island. Shadow believes that Knuckles is behind it, and activates his Chaos Control to lure him out.

On cue, Knuckles arrives to fight Shadow again. This time the battle goes a little better, but Shadow is no closer to winning. Amy soon arrives to find the two in battle and tries to help Shadow, but ends up interfering instead. Shadow takes Amy and retreats again, and Knuckles takes after him. Shadow gets an idea and pulls a quick turn on Knuckles, throwing Amy and her Pico Pico Hammer straight at him, scoring a direct hit. Shadow goes to deal a finishing blow to the echidna, but he is stopped by another, Tikal.

Shadow struggles with a message that Tikal leaves him, purveying of ultimate doom. Eventually, Tikal comes to Knothole and requests that Shadow follow her. She takes him to the floating island where he meets with the echidna elders, who tell him that they will be leaving the Great Forest, _with_ Shadow. Shadow refuses, but Tikal makes him stay.

Not sitting idly by, Rouge heads for the floating island to find Shadow, while Bunnie gathers a rescue party. Back on the island, Shadow is getting acquainted with his new "home" and is being shown around by Tikal; a brief confrontation with Knuckles reveals that the island's power source, the Master Emerald can seal or release Shadow's Chaos Control. When Tikal leads Shadow to a house that has been reserved for him, he finds Rouge, who is also a prisoner.

Realizing there is little to do without a plan, Shadow and Rouge abide their time on the island, looking around, getting to know the town and it's inhabitants. While on a park bench, the two discuss their past, and their potential futures. Little do they know that prying eyes are watching them, Knuckles is still sore from his previous defeat, and high in the sky, Robotnik's drones have located the island.

The party from Knothole finally arrive, just in time to see Robotnik's air force descending on the island. With no way to get to the island, Geoffrey sends Tails up to find Shadow and Rouge. The echidnas have already spotted the attackers and ready themselves for battle while Shadow and Rouge look for cover, eventually finding Tails and Tikal. The four are stuck in the middle of a war zone when they discover Robotnik's robots are trying to drill into the island, in order to reach the Master Emerald. Rouge and Tails make a break for it while Tikal takes Shadow into the island.

On the way, Tikal and Shadow run into the chief elder, who tells them the story of how the echidnas came to be the protectors of the Master Emerald, then lets Shadow go on to the Master Emerald, which he is destined to destroy. A battle ensues between Shadow, Knuckles and one of Robotnik's robots; the robot is destroyed when Shadow takes the power of the Master Emerald for himself.

After the island crashes to the ground, some of the echidnas come to Knothole to explain what happened to Sally. Tikal tells her that Shadow has been taken away from the forest by a dark force that wants the power of the Master Emerald. In a distant realm, Shadow confronts a dark entity that claims that he created Shadow as revenge against Sonic, Void.

Shadow denies Void's demand to hand over the Master Emerald's power and tries to fight the creature, but finds himself totally outmatched in the alien word. At his wits end, Shadow wishes for a way to defeat the stranger, and he is given one, along with a mysterious voice in the darkness giving him a needed boost of hope. With newfound strength, Shadow fights Void, and eventually defeats him; the darkness fades, and Shadow finds himself in a paradise. The stranger that beckoned him before, Lumina reveals that this is Maginaryworld, the land of dreams that Void tried to conquer. She reveals that Shadow can stay with the family that Void created, or return to Knothole and the family he found.

Shadow returns, and with the power of the Master Emerald at his disposal, charges Robotropolis to finish Dr. Robotnik, once and for all. On the way to Robotnik, Shadow breaks into his main tower, and battles a Roboticizer gun and a robotic duplicate of his predecessor, Metal Sonic. Finally, he faces Robotnik and a terrifying machine, but soon comes out on top.

Shadow deals out the final blow to the menace with his bare hands, and unleashes the power of the Master Emerald to destroy Robotropolis and restore Mobotropolis.


	3. ACT VI: WHEN YOU ONLY REMEMBER DESPAIR

**Act I: When You Only Remember Despair**

**A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by Black Mantle**

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

Sure, Robotnik may be gone and Mobotropolis restored, but that doesn't mean there's nothing happening on Mobius. "After the Darkness" is a direct sequel to "The Darkness of Chaos" and starts some months after DoC finishes.

While Robotnik may be gone, and there is no enemy to fight; the worst enemy of all may be the one that exists deep inside of you that eats away at your very soul.


	4. Chapter 1: The Fall

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 1: The Fall**_

{A year… a very lonely year…}

Sally looked out her window at her kingdom. The reconstruction was moving along well, though there was still much to be done.

Ever since Dr. Robotnik was defeated several months ago, and the water and lands around the ruined city slowly returned to normal, the residents of Knothole moved back to their old home to rebuild it.

Houses had sprung up everywhere, and were occupied; though there were still a lot of people living in tents, and the large center that was hastily built to act as a town hall, hospital, and center for any other essential services. There was still no water or electricity being run to any of the buildings, but work was progressing on that problem. Education was another problem. Most of the families from Mobotropolis had fled to nearby lands when Robotnik took over, but some had remained while others were returning to help rebuild their old home. There was no school for the children, and only a few people were able to teach them.

Not visible from the window was Acorn Castle, Sally's former home. The castle was still in total ruin, and often any salvageable pieces of it were cannibalized for the sake of building the town. The royal treasury was found, so there would be plenty of money to pay for the rebuilding of Mobotropolis. But Sally knew the castle itself would never return to its former glory, it would take too much work to do so, and it was really a bit much to begin with. Having lived a hard life in the forest for the past decade, Sally didn't much care for large castles anymore, a small palace, more like a large mansion was far more than what she wanted.

But whatever would be built, she really didn't care. It was one year ago, in two days from now that her whole life came crashing down. She remembered it so vividly, the large grouping around the scouting party, the push forward to see the sight, and the most horrid picture she ever saw. It was far worse than the invasion of Robotnik, and it ripped at her far worse than the image of her roboticized retainer. Before her lay the deceased form of her one and only love, Sonic.

Sally couldn't count the times she's cried herself to sleep over the past year, or woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. She was growing so tired, and so weak. She wasn't eating properly and was wearing herself down to the bone. Though she would try to act tough for her subjects, the constant pestering of her new retainer, Amy to eat something was a constant reminder that she wasn't well, not that she needed one.

In her despair, she was letting her own life slip away, she didn't care anymore, she wanted to be with Sonic again. Sally didn't really want to die, but subconsciously, she was counting the days until the anniversary of Sonic's death, perhaps it would be fitting for it to be her own demise as well.

* * *

Later that afternoon, there was a knocking at Shadow's door. Bunnie went to answer it.

"Tails? What is it, yah look all tuckered out?"

Tails was panting pretty heavily having raced the whole way here. "Is Shadow here? It's urgent."

Bunnie led Tails into the kitchen where Shadow was at the counter preparing a snack while Rouge was sitting at the table reading a book.

Shadow was struggling with a knife and a jar. "I'm telling you, there's something totally unholy about cheese in a jar."

"Spreadable cheese is the future, live with it."

"Shadow!"

The hedgehog is question looked back to see Tails flying towards him.

"What's up kid?"

"You've got to come quick, to the hospital."

* * *

It did not take long for Shadow to arrive at the large building at the center of town, though Rouge and Tails would take a few more minutes; Bunnie languished in back, lacking powers of speed or flight.

Shadow paced down the halls after being given a warning by the staff not to run through the hallways. He eventually reached a row of rooms, out of one of which a small pink hedgehog stepped out.

"Amy, what happened?"

The pink girl looked up. "Shadow? Looks like Tails found you."

She sighed while Shadow looked at her, awaiting her answer.

"She been so tired as of late, and she doesn't look well at all. She hasn't eaten anything over the last few days and… all of the work is taking her toll. It just happened. She just collapsed from exhaustion."

Shadow stood looking in awe at the girl as she did a number of fidgety movements.

"What kind of retainer am I if my retainee ends up in the hospital?"

"Is she going to be alright?"

"I don't know, the doctors aren't sure. Geoffrey's in with her now." Amy started to stammer a bit from the shock and disbelief. "I've got to go, calm down a bit."

She charged off down the hall. Shadow walked up to the door where a raccoon had been placed on guard. He stopped Shadow, and then opened the door slightly to talk into it. After a moment, he opened the door to allow Shadow to enter.

Inside, Sally was a sleep on the hospital bed while Geoffrey was sitting silently in a chair next to her with his head resting in his hands. Sally looked like death had already taken her away and left the corpse to rot. She was wasting away, there seemed to be little of anything between the skin of her face and the bone of her skull. Over the white sheet laid her arms, both appeared as depreciated as her face. Connected to her right was a clear tube held in place by white surgical tape, leading up to a bag of clear fluid.

Shadow's attention was split between the princess and her bedside guard; he honestly didn't know if he should say anything or not.

"How is she?"

Geoffrey didn't respond at first, he sat there, motionless except for his breathing; he didn't even acknowledge Shadow's presence for almost a minute. Afterwards, the skunk turned his head to finally look at the black hedgehog.

"Not good. She's alive, but very weak."

The pair went back to silence. Shadow contemplated any of a hundred questions and comments regarding her withered state: 'How did she end up like this?', 'Has she eaten anything in the last few days?'. Looking at Geoffrey's almost dead look in his face, he shelved them.

The silence was broken again when the guard poked his head through the door to alert the presence of another visitor. Before he could say word one, the dreaded atmosphere was broken by a rather domineering voice.

"One side, I'm here to see a friend."

Rouge muscled her way through the guard and the door, and froze at seeing the unconscious squirrel; Tails followed behind her.

"You can't just barge in here, miss."

The guard tried to push Rouge and Tails back into the hallway, but Shadow caught his attention with a shallow "uhm" and gave a hand signal to motion him to let them in. The raccoon would normally only have done so by Geoffrey's order, but he could see that his leader wasn't about to either confirm or contradict Shadow's command; being in a hospital, the guard decided not to make a fuss.

Rouge stepped in next to Shadow was Tails next to her.

Not wanting to disturb anyone else, Rouge whispered to Shadow. "What wrong with her? She looks like a rake."

"I don't know; Amy said she hasn't been eating properly. Could be stress, work…" Shadow shrugged his shoulders to indicate he knew nothing more.

"Will she be O.K.?"

This time, Shadow answered more forcefully to indicate he didn't know anything more, but still whispering in respect. "I don't know."

The pair remained quiet while Tails walked up to the bed. "Please Aunt Sally, you've got to get better."

Shadow and Rouge looked on while Tails made his plea. Shadow looked at Sally's atrophied body, then he started to think. Before coming here he was about to make himself a snack; Hell, it's probably still sitting there on the counter. He was getting hungry having not eaten in hours, and the sight of Sally was just making his cravings worse. He took a quick look at the others, and decided to duck out of there.

Before moving, Shadow motioned to Rouge that he was heading out, but avoided saying anything.

"Where are you going?"

Rouge spoke too softly for Shadow to hear as he headed away, so she followed him to the door. When Shadow reached the door, it opened and Bunnie stepped in, panting heavily from running all the way here.

Upon seeing Shadow, she asked. "How is she?"

"She's over there, not good."

"Where y'all going?"

"Just hitting the cafeteria."

Rouge's eyes opened when she heard where Shadow was heading. "The café? That's where you were going?"

Bunnie came in while Shadow slipped out. He turned back to see Rouge hesitating a bit. "You coming, or staying here."

Rouge felt trapped, she was already leaving with Shadow before she found out where, and felt it would be stupid to turn around now, although she thought it was in very bad taste to just leave. With a bit of a scowl, she walked out.

* * *

Shadow sat down at a table with a couple of sandwiches and a soda that he bought from the cafeteria. Rouge followed, albeit reluctantly when she found out where he was going.

"I can't believe you dragged me down here."

"'Dragged'? I asked if you wanted to come with me."

"I didn't know you were heading out to stuff your face, which is rather inconsiderate under the circumstances."

"If my stomach started growling up there, how considerate would that be?"

Shadow took a deep bite in one of the breaded triangles. Rouge sighed, then picked another of the triangles to her mouth.

"Now look who's being inconsiderate, get your own."

"Oh stuff it."

Shadow and Rouge sat at the table eating the sandwiches when Bunnie came down and joined them, sitting on the same side of the table as Shadow.

"How can yah be eating at a time like this?"

Shadow got defensive. "I was hungry, alright?!"

Bunnie looked at the plate with the sandwiches and chose one for herself.

Shadow's eyes did a full orbit about the room after getting two of his snacks smooched. "If you guys are trying to put me in the hospital too, then by all means, take 'em."

Rouge tilted her head a bit. "My, aren't _we_ in a good mood today? Don't tell me that Sally's getting to the big bad hedgehog."

Bunnie didn't like the idea of another competitor. "Yeah, ya've always been a little bit friendly with her."

"I just don't like it when people try to be more depressed and darker than I."

Rouge smirked at the stupid answer. "Uh huh, right."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come off it, you've always been rather friendly with Sally."

"Really, I don't recall going over to her place and screwing _her_ every night."

Rouge almost laughed at the joke, while Bunnie wasn't pleased that it was Rouge on the receiving end of that particular jibe.

"That's not what I meant. Around most people you're a bit of a jerk, but around her, you treat her like family. And this is not the first time we've had this discussion either; you've always shown some concern for her, whatever your reasons may be."

Shadow sighed; Rouge was right, he always treated Sally differently. The two girls watched him before he spoke again.

"I always felt responsible for what happened. It was my fault that Sonic died, and I felt that I owed her for that."

"That wasn't your fault, sugah; Robotnik killed him."

"I know, I know, but that doesn't help me any. Ever since Sonic died, she's been slipping into this deep despair of hers, and it just gets worse and worse. Sometimes it looks like she just might get on with her life, but then she slides again. Now, it looks like she's going to lose this battle once and for all. She just can't get over it, and it's been, what is it, almost a year since… since…"

Shadow stopped to consider what he was thinking. 

"Bunnie, do you remember when we met?"

Bunnie perked up a bit at Shadow's question. "Yeah, it will have been one year come tomorrow."

"Well that's it. It was that night when Sonic was killed and brought to Knothole just before dawn the next day. In two days it will have been the first anniversary of Sonic's death."

Shadow was starting to perk up, as was Rouge in response. Bunnie was getting depressed at how Shadow didn't realize the significance of tomorrow, just the day after.

"Sally could barely face up to Sonic's death when it happened, and now she can't face it one year later."

Rouge was glad that Shadow wasn't quite so depressed, but his explanation really didn't offer much hope. "So what do we do?"

"I don't know."

To be continued


	5. Chapter 2: Falling

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 2: Falling**_

Later that afternoon, Sally had regained consciousness, but was otherwise lying still in her bed. Amy was at the side of the bed trying to get her to eat a bowl of some oatmeal like food prepared at the hospital.

"Come on, your highness, you have to eat."

Sally laid there; she was aware of Amy and the spoon that was being held in front of her face, and simply ignored it.

The pink hedgehog was really getting frustrated and was almost pouting.

"Can't you see what you're doing to yourself? You have to stop this. Well, if you're going to act like a big baby, then fine."

Amy put the spoon back in the bowl and mixed up the contents a bit then took a fresh spoonful of the slop to Sally's mouth. "Open wide, the horsey's coming into the stable."

For the first time, Sally actually gave a slight response to Amy's taunting, but it was nothing more than a leer at her new retainer for the childish remark.

"I was talking to the doctor earlier, and if you don't eat this, he'll put it in a bag and siphon it through a tube going down your nose. Do you want that?"

Sally returned to her blank glaze and ignored Amy again.

Amy was getting more frustrated and returned the spoon to the bowl.

"I can wait here for hours until you eat this."

The door opened silently, though both Amy and Sally still heard it. Shadow crept in, not because he really thought he could get in unnoticed, but because it was a hospital.

"Hello ladies, anything going on?" He whispered.

"I've been trying to get Miss Sally to eat her supper, but she won't take it."

Shadow reached out and took the bowl from Amy's hands. "Let me have a try."

Amy got out of the chair to let Shadow take her place. "Thanks, you're a life saver."

"Whose, yours or Sally's?"

"Mine stupid, she's driving me nuts."

Shadow turned to Sally. "You haven't been a very nice princess, have you?"

Sally ignored the banter.

Amy walked out, leaving Shadow to try and get Sally to eat the semi-liquefied mass.

"You gonna eat this? If you don't I will."

Sally ignored the hedgehog and the spoon of food at her mouth.

Shadow shrugged, withdrew the spoon and put it in his own mouth. His eyes bulged out and his mouth drooped after getting the consumable in his mouth. With a warped frown, he gludged back the mouthful.

"So that's why you're not eating." Shadow set the bowl down. "Tell you what, I'll go out and get something from home and bring it here; some finger sandwiches, fruit punch, ice cream, we can set it out and have a little picnic without the ants. I'll get a checkered red cloth and lay it over the bed and we'll…"

"Shut up."

Shadow stopped and looked at Sally after the first two words she's said today.

"What was that?"

"I said for you to go away and leave me alone. Why don't you take that little tart and bang her a few hundred times, you'd probably rather being with her than me."

"Well now, isn't this a bit of a change. I don't recall you ever being this nasty or rude before."

"And what's it to you? Just go away and leave me alone."

"Seeing as how you'll actually talk to me, I think I'll have to stay here a bit longer."

Sally was going to respond, but decided to simply turn her head away instead, since it seemed that every word only made Shadow come closer.

"Now, now princess, you've got a lot of people worried about you, Geoffrey, Amy, your subjects."

"Fuck them."

Shadow was stunned, that Sally would ever use such a vulgar term, let alone use it to refer to the people that serve under her and that she has worked so hard for. He regained his composure a second later, thankful that Sally didn't see his momentary lapse while turned away.

"That's not how a princess should act."

Sally turned back and stared at the black visitor. "What the Hell do you know about how a princess should act?! Who are _you_ to tell me to lighten up and eat that slop and tell me to go and be a happy little ruler?!"

"Hey, I didn't…"

"Shut up! You just don't know when you're not wanted."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"What?"

"Just what do you mean, 'I'm not wanted'?"

"I want you to leave me alone."

"Do you want me to leave this room, or leave period?"

Sally didn't bother answering; she just sat there, scowling.

"Come on Sally, what do you want?"

"I wish you never came here, and I mean came here, period. You ruined everything, everything's been so wrong since you came here."

"Ah, you'd be referring to the passing of my 'predecessor', Sonic."

Sally was really getting pissed off now. "How dare you even say his name? If you didn't show up, he'd still be here."

"Hey, I'm not the one who…"

"I don't want to hear it, I've heard your pathetic stories enough. It's your fault he's gone."

"And what am I supposed to do? I can't bring back the dead, and I've tried to help as much as I could. You have your kingdom back thanks to me."

"La dee da. I'm surprised you haven't given me the boot and taken it all for yourself."

"That's not fair. I know that Sonic would _probably_ still be here if I didn't enter the picture, but you can't pin that on me."

"And tell me, why did you come and help, why did you bother to stay? Did you honestly come back because of me?"

Shadow stopped for a moment. He remembered exactly why he returned to Knothole, and why he joined the fight against Robotnik.

"No it wasn't, was it? You really haven't done anything to help me, just the opposite. You may not have killed Sonic yourself, but you came here to challenge him and to beat him; you hated him. Then when he was gone, you go off into battle and show up our troops."

"Now hold on, I was there to help, not to show up anybody."

"Oh yeah, what about Bunnie, you bringing her in here acting all big and such, the knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress from the big bad robotic ogres. And then there was Rouge, that little bitch you screw every night. 'Aren't I the big bad hedgehog with the nicest piece of tail in the forest'!"

"That does it! Now you listen to me, every word of this conversation has been swimming through my head for the last year. I know how much Sonic meant to you, and I've been guilty of my part in his untimely demise ever since I laid eyes on you looking over him before the funeral. I have done a lot to help you out, and on your more depressing days, I even thought that it might help if I tried to take his place and be your boyfriend, or whatever he meant to you, since it seemed that's what you wanted; so don't you dare say I don't feel guilty for what happened. And if I could, I would do whatever I could to fix it; but I can't raise the dead or change history."

Sally turned her head back so that she was pointing straight forward, not looking at Shadow to her right.

"Sally? You can't keep doing this."

"You're right, I shouldn't."

Shadow was not pleased with Sally admission; her voice still had much anger, and didn't have the defeatist-accepting attitude of one who had realized the error of their ways.

"If that's what you want, then I forgive you, Shadow. Sonic's death really wasn't your fault; it was Robotnik who had him killed. You don't have to feel guilty anymore; I no longer blame you for what happened. You can go on with your life, and I can go my way."

"That depends on what 'your way is'."

"What's it to you? You don't have to care about me anymore, I forgive you."

"It's not that simple, and you know it. You're destroying yourself like this, I can't let you do that."

"How dare you, you may not have been the one to take Sonic from me, but now you're trying to keep us apart."

"You can't just throw your life away like this."

"What life? My life ended last year." Sally semi-enraged tone slumped again. "I have no life."

"And what about Mobotropolis, your kingdom."

"It'll do fine without me. I'd gladly trade a dozen kingdoms just to have Sonic back for a day."

"Would Sonic want you to do that? How would he feel if he could see you like this?"

"Just leave me alone in my misery until I can be with him in the cold ground."

Shadow grabbed Sally by her scrawny necrotizing arms. "Is that what you want?! Can you seriously look me in the face, and tell me that you want to die?"

Sally froze for a second at the harshness and force in Shadow's voice. She couldn't believe at how cold he had become, despite that she knew he was very dark inside, he never exhibited it around her. For the first time, Sally got a taste of the true darkness of Shadow's heart; but while it scared her, she also drew on its dark power. Her face contorted in a sickening glare and stared straight into Shadow's eyes, letting her own terror cut through his, and beating the black one at his own game. And from the back of her throat, came a voice so venomous that the princess didn't even know that she was capable of it.

"I want to die."

* * *

Shadow was a totally different person, never before had he faced something that scared him so. Back at his house, he was gazing into the large mirror in the main bathroom. Staring back was his face, the face he had seen so many times before in the glass, but not like this. The face that looked back was one of defeat, so dreary, so lost. The face that would often bear a sinister visage was totally beaten by Sally's appearance that afternoon.

Try as he would, he couldn't trigger the fire that often spurned from his eyes; his darkness would not emerge, and even if it did, Shadow felt it could never compete with the vicious glare of the sickly woman.

The door opened, and Rouge slowly crept into the room. "Shadow?"

Rouge walked in, stepping softly towards the hedgehog. "Come on, it's time for bed."

Shadow barely turned his attention long enough to notice that Rouge was standing beside him wearing a small pink nighty that barely covered her torso, ignoring her arms and legs; not that it mattered, the sheen pink fabric was almost totally transparent.

"My goodness, things must be bad; you're barely looking at me."

"Sally is really letting go; she just can't go on without him."

"So there's nothing we can do?"

"Not unless we have some blue paint."

To be continued


	6. Chapter 3: Another Desperation

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 3: Another Desperation**_

Shadow's sleep was anything but restful; his dreams were filled with the horrid images of that day one year ago. As with all nightmares, every gory detail was magnified a hundred fold, and a thousand fold beyond that.

In the darkness, Shadow knew exactly where he headed, he knew the time and place, though he wished to be anywhere but there.

Entrenched in darkness, Shadow skulked through the woods around Mobotropolis, disfigured, twisted, unholy. Looking up, the sky was totally indiscernible from the treetops, the mighty spires simply bled up into the space.

Shadow continued on, not looking to either side, for there would be nothing to find. In the foreground where endless recurring echoes that broke the silence behind him: the sounds of battle, gunfire and the ramblings of the environment.

As he approached, the battle moved towards him, the echoes came to him louder and fuller, until he found himself face to face with destiny.

In the distance and approaching at breakneck speed came a flash of blue, a bright stroke through the black. Shadow froze and watched the light come forward, the light that streaked with blazing speed, was held almost frozen in time like molasses.

Shadow couldn't move from his place, and around him came the rustling of the bushes. On both his left and right, large monstrous robots leapt into position, with fiery sticks of metal swung forward. Shadow was paralyzed with fear as the loud explosions rang through both ears

Two narrow streams of red light flung themselves forward into the blue comet, crashing into the wall of light, illuminating the dreamscape, masking all around in intense yellow.

After the light faded, on the ground laid one dark figure, a shadowy blue figure laying face down in the muck. As the eternal seconds ticked past with the sound of a subdued heart beat that echoed through the ether.

Starting softly, a ghastly chuckle hovered over the body; it drew closer and louder. Along the ground came footsteps, each fall came with a squish in the muddy turf; and with each step, the mud turned, becoming more and more sanguine.

Shadow stood over his former and very short-term opponent, cackling in a hideous voice; his feet planted just inches from the blue head. Standing and laughing, Shadow looked down on Sonic, holding two long rods of steel, each smoking from the hollowed ends.

Shadow tossed the rifles down, and were lost in the red muck. Reaching down, he grabbed the corpse with both hands and lifted it out of the mire, leaving a black hole where it had laid. He stared at the blank visage with his teeth sneering at the fallen foe. Hoisting the body above him with his right hand wrapped around the neck, Shadow laughed maniacally at the sight of the blood that flowed freely from the gaping holes in the chest and splashed to the ground below.

Swinging his arm around, Shadow swung the body behind him, and flung it over his shoulder, throwing it through the air. Tumbling through the air, the cadaver hit the ground with a thud.

The evil glint in Shadow's eyes followed the object's trajectory. Once it came to rest, Shadow looked at his hands, both covered in blood, soaking through his gloves, staining his black fur in a dark red gloss.

Shadow returned to look at the body. Kneeling next to the blue mass was the miserable figure of Princess Sally, crying her eyes out, her bawling echoing as if she was in a small cave. Shadow walked up to the woman, grinning even more sinisterly than before, until he finally reached the pair.

With a swift kick, he knocked the fallen away to the void, leaving himself and Sally. He grabbed her chin forcefully and almost dragged her to her feet, smearing blood over her face.

"You monster, what have you done?"

"Forget about him, just wait and see what I do to you."

Sally spoke again, but instead of fear and sorrow, the words came through clear and untainted by distress. "If this is what you dream about with Sally, I'd hate to see what you dream about with Rouge."

Shadow froze, and took a step back from Sally. As the scenery seemed to spin around him, the figure of the princess was replaced with an almost mythical figure.

"Tikal? What?"

The peach echidna looked around the shadows. "I always knew that you possessed such darkness in your heart; but frankly, the blood is a bit much."

Shadow looked around, his hands were no longer caked in the rusty red liquid, and the thick residue on the ground was starting to drain away. And with it, went the evil that haunted Shadow.

"That's a neat trick, I wish you were here earlier."

"I didn't do this, you did; this is your dream."

"You bring up an interesting point; why are you here, or are you a figment of my imagination?"

"When you absorbed the Master Emerald, you invariably became linked to my powers of forbidden sight."

"Yes, yes, I know, you've done this before. So, does Knuckles know you're making this little visit?"

"This does not involve him, this is about you, and Sally."

Shadow's partial relief at Tikal's interference faded and was replaced with despair. He paced around a bit, and sat down on a fallen tree.

"Have you been to see her?"

"Not yet, we only heard about it this evening. We'll head down and pay a visit tomorrow morning. Is she really that bad?"

"She dying, with Sonic gone, she's given up."

Tikal walked over and sat down next to the hedgehog. "And you feel guilty for it."

"That obvious, huh?"

"Blood on the hands is a pretty obvious sign."

He glanced at his hands, though they were now clean of the stains, he still felt the dirtiness. Shadow folded his hands and laid his chin on his thumbs.

"I'd say that you shouldn't be blaming yourself, but I guess it won't work."

"There's nothing I can do."

"Of course there is, even if all you can do is nothing. Or perhaps you have already done it."

"Don't give me such trite nonsense. If the Master Emerald gave you such incredible powers of knowledge, why can't you tell me what to do, instead of giving me all this cryptic nonsense?"

"My powers of forbidden sight came from the Master Emerald, which is now yours; there is nothing that I can see that you cannot. All you have to do is open your eyes, and see what is shown to you."

Tikal got up and walked away. Shadow looked up, but Tikal had disappeared.

Shadow looked out, but saw nothing; everything that had happened was gone, leaving him alone.

"I don't understand; what is it that I'm not seeing? There's nothing here, there's nothing left."

* * *

_{There's nothing left... nothing... left?}_

* * *

When Rouge woke up the next morning, she found Shadow sitting up in bed, his head resting on his folded hands.

"What are you doing, how long have you been up like that?"

"Couple hours."

"You're thinking about Sally aren't you?"

"Yeah." Shadow broke from his statuesque pose and turned to Rouge. "How many Power Rings do we have?"

* * *

"Shadow, please excuse me for saying this, BUT THIS IS A RIDICULOUS IDEA!!!"

Shadow was packing away several Power Rings in his backpack while getting a chewing out from Rouge. "If you've got a better idea, I'm all for it."

"I don't have a solution, but going back in time? I've seen enough sci-fi flicks to know that time travel is a bad idea. You don't even know if you can do it."

"The Chaos Control gives me command over time and space, and with the added boost of the Master Emerald, I figure a little jaunt through history should be a breeze."

"You're not thinking right. If you're not careful, you could totally screw up everything."

Bunnie was also there, equally worried that Shadow was falling into the despair along with the princess. "Shadow, please don't do this, it sounds too dangerous."

"I have to try, at least to know if it can be done."

Rouge realized that she couldn't change Shadow's mind, and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving a big kiss on his lips.

"You be careful you big idiot."

Bunnie wasn't about to let Rouge get the last kiss before he headed out, and jumped Shadow the moment Rouge let go.

"Yah had better come back." Bunnie gave Shadow a kiss even more intense than the bat's.

Rouge looked at Bunnie rather suspiciously, this was the first instance that she seemed more than just a friend or family member. There were times that she thought it odd that Bunnie stayed with them, but she usually thought of her as innocent enough. Rouge treated Bunnie like a little sister or even an adopted daughter, perhaps that should change.

When Bunnie let go, Shadow took a step away and stood straight. Bringing his arms around him like a conductor summoning an orchestra, Shadow called upon the Chaos Control and was enveloped in a bright green aura. The light flared, then faded into a dark shadow that stood in the place of the fully solid Shadow.

Bunnie glanced at Rouge. "Yah think he'll be O.K.?"

"Of course he will; but if you were that worried about him, then maybe you should have given him a bit more."

Bunnie turned with a startled look at the bat and the sly smirk on her face.

* * *

Shadow seemed to float in the air as massive swirls of rainbow colored energy flew around in the background. Shadow paid little attention, instead he was more focused on the task at hand, and the result he was seeking.

Steadily his form was enveloped in a green flame, and he flashed into existence.

* * *

Shadow's feet touched down on solid rock. He stood with a green aura, and looked around the area.

The terrain was rocky, but it wasn't the randomness of a mountain or stony path; it was the ruins of a city, that city, what was once Mobotropolis, after the disaster that Robotnik had brought and Shadow had cleansed.

The landscape was dotted with ruined buildings, and cleared spots, and the wooden and steel skeletons of new houses and buildings. In the distance, he could hear the busy activity of builders in the distance, working quickly with hammers and saws, constructing what would become the new Mobotropolis.

Shadow had made it back about 6 months, shortly after Robotnik's defeat, half way to his goal, but the location was several miles off.

He glanced around the stone that marked where his house would stand in about a month and a half.

The hedgehog was quite impressed with his feat, even though he was in the wrong place and the wrong time, but he could always try again.

Shadow looked into his pouch to check his ring supply. He started with 35, but now it had whittled down to 14.

"Holy cow, this sucks more juice than my old Game Gear did."

In the instant that Shadow inspected his supply, two more rings had depleted. He quickly glanced around, realizing that he couldn't do anything in this time and place; he looked down and saw a small rock on the ground. Grabbing it, he jumped back into the Chaos Control to return to his time.

* * *

In a bright flash, the green glow left behind in his house to mark when and where Shadow left his time frame flooded the room and faded to nothing. Shadow returned, seemingly unfazed through the trip. Just as the Chaos Control dissipated, Shadow saw the rock starting to glow a bright yellow, and it burned in his hands.

"Yeargh!"

Shadow reactivated the Chaos Control and ran out of the house, rushing past anyone in his way. Outside, he hurled the fiery stone into the air like a baseball outfielder in a desperate attempt to throw out a runner making a break for home.

High in the air, the stone tumbled, glowing an even fiercer yellow, orange and red.

Shadow covered his eyes as the sky was filled with a billowing flume of white light high above him.

Rouge, Bunnie, Omochao and Tails ran out the door to see Shadow looking at the explosion.

Tails landed close to him. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. I tried to bring a rock back from the past, but it went critical when I turned off the Chaos Control."

Omochao walked up behind Shadow. "It looks like the atomic structure of the rock couldn't handle the huge energy shift from being taken from one time to another."

"That sounds about right, whatever that means."

Shadow stood there for a second, then slowly turned around and looked down at the metallic creature with a questioning stare, as did everyone else.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Omochao, and I'm here to help you."

Rouge started poking Omochao's metal head. "O.K. _What_ are you?"

"I'm Omochao."

"Oh that helps."

Tails took a closer look at the machine that was only slightly smaller than him. "Are you one of Robotnik's robots?"

"Robotnik? Big fat bald guy with no fashion sense?"

"Yeah."

"No."

Rouge gazed at the steel creature. "Then where did you come from?"

"I was created by the famous scientist, Dr. Yuji Naka…"

To be continued


	7. Chapter 4: The Adventures of Omochao

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

To the Readers:

I'm sorry, I had something big planned here but it turned into such total **** that I cut this part out. Basically, Omochao was going into a long monologue about his history, but I got so bored halfway thorugh that I cut it down to this. Think of it this way, I'm saving your sanity.

And now, onto the really, really, short Chapter 4…

_**Chapter 4: The Adventures of Omochao**_

Shadow, Rouge, Bunnie and Tails looked on as Omochao started his monologue describing in great detail his life's story up to that point. Though it lasted four hours, the group left and went inside after 30 seconds.

* * *

"…and that's how I came to come here."

Omochao had finally finished his monologue, and looked around. He had been left totally alone dictating his life story to empty air.

"Oooo, that makes me so mad!"

To be continued


	8. Chapter 5: Time for a Change

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 5: Time for a Change**_

Omochao walked into the kitchen in Shadow's home. Shadow, Rouge, Bunnie and Tails were sitting at the table sharing a pot of coffee; except Tails, he had orange juice. The metal creature took an unoccupied seat and sat down.

"That was very rude."

Everyone turned to look at Omochao. Shadow pulled his cup away from his lips to answer. "All you did was ramble on and on no matter how much we told you to stop, so we left."

"That was still rude." Omochao's previously angry tone faded and he became more polite. Though no one could tell until he uncrossed his arms since his face was solid metal and didn't move. "So, what's going on?"

Rouge looked to her left at the visitor. "Is there any chance you'll be leaving depending on the answer?"

"No."

"In that case, we're trying to help a friend of ours. She's very sick because a close friend of hers died a year ago, and she's really depressed. Any thoughts?"

Omochao stopped and thought for a few seconds. "One plus one equals one on a bun."

The other four looked on. Tails asked, "What does that mean?"

Shadow answered the young fox. "If it's what I think it is, you're not getting an answer."

"Ah." Tails was pretty smart and pretty much figured it out on his own by Shadow's refusal to answer.

"I'm sorry, I say stupid things like that at times. So your plan is to go back and prevent his death, so that Sally won't be in despair. Perhaps I can help."

Shadow furled his brow. "What can you do?"

"I know a lot about traveling through time and space; for example, the person you're trying to save is named 'Sonic', right?"

Rouge put down her coffee; she was a bit intrigued since no mention of Sally or Sonic was made, but still not impressed. "Not bad, but everyone around here knows that."

"Then how about this? Where was Tails when Shadow left?"

Rouge was even less impressed. "He was here. He came and gave us an update on Sally's condition."

"Wait a minute." Shadow tried to think. "He wasn't here when I left."

"That is correct, when you left Tails wasn't here, but when you returned he was. That is because you changed history."

"But I didn't do anything, I just picked up a rock and tried to bring it back."

"And that was all it took. You claim to be a creature of chaos, but you do not understand true chaos. Every event, even the slightest action has consequences, and those consequences lead to other consequences that multiply on themselves a trillion fold. You must be careful, Shadow; although time does have a desire to travel in a given direction, it is very unstable and great change can be made by simple acts."

Bunnie was getting worried. "So something more drastic could cause really severe changes, possibly meaning the difference between life or death?"

"Right, do you remember what you and Rouge were talking about when Shadow left?"

"Well, we were... Why do I get the feeling that it's not what I am thinking we were talking about."

"Actually you were talking about..." Omochao froze for a second as he recalled how the other timeline was turning out. "Perhaps I shouldn't say; it's a bit personal and doesn't bear repeating, least of all in front of 'you know who'."

Rouge looked oddly at the robot. "Why, what was it?"

Omochao's odd implication gave Bunnie an idea, and she almost choked at what Rouge might do if she found out about her feelings for Shadow.

Shadow interrupted. "Look, can we get back to the trouble at hand? Omochao, you seem to know a lot about this time travel stuff; can you help us change history to save Sonic?"

"Possibly, but I must warn you, such a thing will have a profound impact on history; and history will try to maintain balance, you may find it harder to do than a simple trip to the past."

"We're going to try it again."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"We need more Power Rings, I went through almost 30 in about half a minute. Second, we'll have to head back to where Sonic got killed."

"Not necessary."

Shadow turned back to Omochao. "What do you mean?"

"You only need those rings to maintain the Chaos Control which is what kept you from self-destructing when you traveled; you really only need a few to travel, and I can keep you from going boom. Second, you don't actually have to go anywhere, you can travel through space as well as time; after all, this whole planet has moved billions of kilometres in the past year on it's own, and you already compensated for that yourself."

Shadow shrugged and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Well, wordy explanation aside, let's do it."

* * *

Back in the basement, Bunnie was tying Omochao to Shadow's back. Though Omochao felt nothing, Shadow felt every tug.

"Holy cow, ease up a bit on the rope."

"I just want to make sure yah get back alright."

"Remind me to never arm wrestle you."

"Farming can do that to yah."

"Perhaps I should take up gardening. Ooof."

"There, that ought tah do it."

Omochao tried to struggle in the back to test the rope. "It's nice and tight."

Bunnie backed away from Shadow, rather shyly. "Shadow, I... I know you're just trying to help Sally, but... I..."

"What is it?"

"I... I'm just worried about yah, that's all."

"I appreciate that."

"Yeah well..." Bunnie slowly turned before quickly leaving the scene. "I gotta go."

Before the normally quick Shadow could react, Bunnie was gone, crying alone in her room, ashamed that she couldn't confess her love for him; weither it was the presence of Omochao, the issue of Sally, or fear of Shadow's reaction, she just couldn't do it.

* * *

About 10 minutes later, Rouge returned after collecting another 50 Power Rings.

"Where's Bunnie?"

"She ran off to her room, she wants to be alone for awhile."

"And Tails?"

"He went back to the hospital to check on Sally."

"And you?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Shadow spun around to reveal Omochao tied to his back like a knapsack.

"Ah! The latest in Mobotropolan fashion, but I don't think it'll catch on."

"Hah, hah."

"How's it going back there?"

Omochao called out, though his voice was no different than before. "Alright, but if it weren't for my metal hide, this guy's spikes would really cause some pain. How do you put up with it?"

"What?! Why you little…"

Rouge considered going back there and giving Omochao a piece of her mind with a pickaxe, but stopped.

"Shadow, you be careful." Rouge leaned in and kissed Shadow rather passionately. "I'll be waiting."

"You won't have to wait long."

Shadow turned his back to try and see Omochao behind his shoulder. "You ready?"

"Roger Wilco!"

Shadow wondered what Omochao said, but shrugged it off.

"Then away we go. We'll be back for dinner so save some places; unless you're cooking, in which case I'll be a little late."

"You swine! We'll see if you get any action tonight, buddy!"

Shadow didn't stick around for Rouge's tirade. The room was bathed in green as Shadow activated his Chaos Control and he and Omochao disappeared into time.

* * *

It was dark and dreary in the forest where and when Shadow and Omochao reappeared.

When the two had fully formed, the glow of the Chaos Control faded. Shadow took a few steps around.

"Looks like we made it here alright."

"I told you you'd be O.K. as long as you stay close to me."

"Right." Shadow looked closer at the trees. "This is the place alright. Now we just have to wait until Sonic gets here."

"If my chronometer is correct, we should only have to wait about 10 seconds."

"10 Seconds?!"

Shadow quickly glanced around to see Sonic quickly homing in on their position.

"Aw Hell!"

Shadow quickly looked around, looking for the robots that shot Sonic. He remembered it was a pair of shots from the front, so the robots had to be close to him. Looking forward, he saw two glints of dark metal in the brushes between him and the direction the Sonic was coming from.

Sonic raced through the dense woods as fast as possible to escape the gun fire raining from behind, completely ignorant of the threat before him. As he approached, two SWATbots jumped from their hiding place, and levelled their guns.

"Yeaaaaahhh!"

The two robots flinched at the scream from behind. Turning, they saw Shadow charging the both of them. In the darkness, the shadowy figure was almost impossible to distinguish were it not for the lump of metal on its back. With his enhanced speed, the SWATbots had no chance to defend and were overtaken in a hundredth of a second.

The first was slammed like a spiny wrecking ball and exploded into small shreds and iron filings. The second one barely saw the bellow of flame before it too was demolished in an equally quick fashion.

Shadow fell to the ground on the spot where the second robot hid in the bush. The robots were destroyed, his job was done. Off to his left, the sounds came closer, until they caught up to his position. Shadow spun on the spot.

Sonic almost didn't believe his eyes, two SWATbots, about to jump him from in front, just exploded for seemingly no reason. What he saw next really knocked him for a loop. As he reached the spot where the robots stood, he looked to his left, standing there, his eyes following Sonic's, stood Shadow, the nightmare who's done nothing but be a huge pain in his side since showing up earlier that day. But in the fraction of a second that their eyes locked, Sonic could see it. These were not the same eyes that that could eat into your soul, that concealed a deadly fire ready to scorn all they saw. No, these eyes had a certain peace behind them.

All went quiet in the fraction of a second that the two pairs of eyes locked on, a silence broken by a loud thunder.

Shadow saw a bright fiery flash that crossed before his eyes, streaking in from the distance, and ending in Sonic's back. Sonic's whole body arched like a bow, his legs and head falling back.

Shadow watched in shock as another shot flew and planted itself in the back of the blue head.

Sonic's corpse flew through the air, carried by his momentum for another 10 metres before finally tumbling to the dirty terrain much like he did a few seconds before in the previous timeline.

"No!"

Shadow was about to leap out of the brush and charge the robots when Omochao reached out to the flora and pulled the hedgehog back to the ground.

"What are you doing?!"

"We can't be seen here."

"I can't let those tin cans get away with this!"

"Of course not, the Shadow in this time will take care of them, _remember_."

Shadow hesitated to respond when the SWATbots made for their location.

"Forget it, we failed this time. We can try again, but only if we return, alive."

Shadow grumbled before reluctantly activating the Chaos Control.

To be continued


	9. Chapter 6: Once More, into the Threshold

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 6: Once More, into the Threshold**_

Shadow and Omochao returned to the former's basement, Bunnie was the only one waiting for them.

"I take it things didn't workout so well."

"No kidding. Where's everyone else."

"Rouge and Tails are out collecting more rings. Omochao told them to."

Shadow looked behind him. "When was that?"

"It was just before we left. You don't remember because time has changed again after our attempt, and in that timeline, I didn't ask; but in this timeline, I did."

Shadow started on the knot holding Omochao in place. "I'm really starting to get tired of this."

With a tug, Shadow unravelled the cord and sent Omochao tumbling to the ground with a thud.

"O.K. This time we'll go back a bit more, say 5 minutes or so and find Sonic before he even gets there."

Omochao picked himself up and walked next to Shadow. "Can I offer a suggestion, trying to save Sonic seems a little drastic, perhaps we should just try to help Sally."

"And how do we do that?"

"Uh... How about a little slam-bam thank you ma'am? That cheers people up."

"Try again shorty."

"Maybe booze?"

"Oh, that should work." Bunnie rolled her eyes, then nudged Shadow's shoulder. "We can get her drunk and yah can bang her into next year."

"Considering all the trouble I'm going through this way, I might just consider it."

* * *

Rouge and Tails returned almost an hour later.

Rouge met Shadow and Omochao in the kitchen, and dropped her stash of Rings on the table. "Returned already? So how did things go?"

"Not great, we stopped the robots that did kill him, only the robots that came from behind got him."

Tails dropped his load next to Rouge's. "So what's the new plan, you gonna go stop those other robots?"

"Not advisable." Everyone turned to Omochao. "You do not want too have to much overlap of your appearances."

"We'll go back a bit more, and redirect Sonic before he even gets there."

Shadow opened his pack to check his supply. About half of the rings he had were still fresh; he exchanged the dead ones for the supply that Rouge and Tails brought, bringing the total to almost 200.

Shadow looked at Omochao. "Do we really need this many?"

"You never know. Better be safe than sorry."

"Have you figured out where Sonic is going to... was going to be?"

"I've been analyzing it, and I know where his path will cross. I can direct us to that spot a few minutes before he shows up."

Rouge was helping Shadow fill his bag. "Do you know what you're going to do to stop him?"

Shadow smirked. "He's looking for me, right? All I've got to do is get him to see me and to have him follow me as far away as possible."

Omochao turned his head as if he was contemplating the simplicity of Shadow's idea. "Sounds about right to me."

* * *

Back on that depressing night, a green flash lit a small area of the woods; when it faded, Shadow stood in position with Omochao strapped to his back like before.

"So how long before Sonic comes through?"

"I calculate about a minute and a half."

"Then we wait."

Shadow crossed his arms and stood, looking out into the darkness, waiting. Omochao wanted to pass the time with a little small talk.

"A little ironic, isn't it."

"Huh?"

"I know about you, Shadow; you were created by a creature called 'Void' for the sole purpose of defeating Sonic, and you're now trying to save him. Doesn't that seem odd to you?"

Shadow didn't want to bother answering the question, he dare not admit that the current situation did faze him quite a bit. He was so caught up in helping Sally, he didn't even stop to consider how he felt.

Deep down, there was a fight going on in Shadow's depths. Part of him so wanted Sonic back, he was the Yin to Shadow's Yang, a piece of himself that was missing since this day. But another part was screaming in anguish, Sonic was his nemesis, and it wearing tearing as his soul that Shadow was trying to save the blue hedgehog.

"Mobius to Shadow, come in, Shadow."

"Leave me alone."

In the background, Shadow could hear the telltale hum of Sonic whistling through the air.

"He's coming, he'll be here any second."

Shadow prepared himself, although his whole plan was just to stand there and let Sonic see him. Unbeknownst to the black one, behind him a tree started to glow red. With no sound, a large hole ate through the thick trunk.

"Alright blue boy, come to papa."

Shadow didn't notice the tree until Omochao heard the branches rattling in the wind.

"Uh, Shadow, behind us."

Shadow turned and saw the massive green shrub falling on top of him. He had no chance to move, and was trapped under the green.

While Shadow and Omochao struggled under the brush, Sonic came whirring by, totally passing by the tree with the two time-travelers trapped within. By the time Shadow fought his way out and poked his head out of the leaves, Sonic was already long gone.

"Sonic! Damn it, where'd this tree come from?!"

Shadow got himself completely free after a few seconds.

"Damn, he's long gone. Wait a minute, I'm faster than that little dweeb."

Shadow charged the Chaos Control and fired into the darkness, desperately trying to catch the blue one. Sonic held a several second lead, but Shadow was catching up. Shadow knew where Sonic was heading, which helped as he couldn't see him yet.

Through the woods, a blue streak was being tailed by a bright green comet. Slowly the gap closed, but there remained a good distance between the two.

"Sonic! Sonic!"

It would not matter how loud Shadow called, Sonic was too far away and the thick trees muffled the call.

For the first time, Shadow caught just a glimpse of Sonic in the distance. With his quarry in sight, Shadow pushed himself on. But as he shifted his direction to home in on his target, Shadow caught something coming towards him from the side. Shadow glanced to his right and saw a fierce ball of yellow energy firing straight at him.

A quick shift to the left and the energy passed right by.

"What the Hell was that?!"

Shadow didn't have time for an answer, another shot came straight at him from the other side. Another jump carried Shadow and Omochao away from the second assault.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're not wanted here?"

Shadow ignored Omochao's inane comment and raced on, trying to reach his double while dodging the incoming blasts. The oncoming fire was making it difficult to progress. Shadow wondered why Sonic didn't notice the shots, either seeing or hearing them; it was obvious that someone was going through great pains to make sure that nothing interfered with Sonic's path.

The attacks were getting more fierce, more fire focused on Shadow's position, making his path more perilous. A tree before him was hit and fell into his path; Shadow ran over it without much hindrance. Another tree fell, this one was a little slow and Shadow ran under; in the process, Omochao got a face full of branch.

"Ptooie! Watch the branches!"

Shadow didn't answer, he was too busy trying to avoid more incoming fire. A quick dodge right, followed by a jump that was a fraction of a second too late.

A blast just beneath Shadow's feet propelled him into the air, his Chaos Control smashing whole trees to sawdust in his high arc. He hit the ground hard and tumbled forward another few meters before coming to a stop. He picked himself up and rubbed a sore spot on his head.

"Shadow!"

Shadow looked forward to see that Omochao had landed a good sprint away. The robot was pointing down, and Shadow saw all his rings scattered on the forest floor. He checked his pouch and found only a handful of rings had survived the fall still in his possession, and all but two were drained.

Two seconds to kaboom...

Shadow charged forward as the last two Rings gave up their energy, grabbing any Power Rings within reach. Shadow traversed a wide arc, picking up as many of the Power Rings he could find in the vicinity. On the way, he picked up Omochao by literally throwing the small guy over his head and letting him grab the spines on Shadow's back.

"That was close."

Shadow looked behind him. "And we're falling way behind."

Shadow was about to return to the race and try desperately to catch Sonic, only to find that something was in the way.

Before Shadow stood a tower of red light, a glow in the form of a warped man standing more than 2 meters tall, easily dwarfing the hedgehog that stood straight at no more than one.

"What are you?"

The fire did not answer, but instead it swung out one fierce arm in a gesture to Shadow to leave this time. Shadow tried to stare down the menace, despite the disadvantage in height.

Off in the distance, Shadow could hear the echoes of gunfire. It was too late, Sonic was already at the battlefield, and his death was assured, again.

"You monster. Why?"

Nothing.

Shadow screamed with rage and charged the flaming monolith.

"Chaos Spear!"

The ghostly creature seemed to slide out of the way of the of the blazing streak of light; the Spear continued on, and struck a tree in the background, shearing off several square feet of bark. With the attack passed, the creature paused and swung its left arm through the air in a powerful swath, forming a large red ball of energy that flew towards Shadow. The ball was far slower than Shadow's Spear, and the hedgehog easily dodged it. The fiery ball exploded well behind him.

"It'll take more than that you walking candle."

Shadow ran out of the clearing, hoping to use his hyper speed to encircle the monster; but from the trees in his path, another flaming beast slid out. Shadow stalled, and watched another creature come out. He and Omochao looked on as they found themselves surrounded by several of the menacing creatures, 6 to 8 by Shadow's quick count.

"Shadow, I think we should be heading home."

Shadow wasn't listening, he was too busy shaping up the opposition and planning his attack.

"Shadow? Shadow, there's nothing more we can do here."

"I can think of one thing."

The Chaos Control flared, and Shadow let out a horrible scream.

"We're gonna die."

Omochao hung on for dear life as Shadow charged two of the fiends.

"Chaos Spear!"

Again the darkness was lit up by Shadow's standard energy attack, but like the first one, these two hauntingly slid away.

Shadow had rattled a major hornet's nest now, and the 7 aliens swirled around him. At first they fired bolts of red energy at the hedgehog; though they were slow, much slower then Shadow, they exploded upon impact, creating shockwaves that could knock an elephant a good three meters. Although Shadow was too busy to notice, the flaming strike left no mark on the ground; the flames that came from the explosions simply rolled over the terrain without leaving a mark.

The enraged hedgehog threw himself at the horde, dancing in between the hot bursts of energy raining in his path.

Omochao was still firmly clamped onto Shadow's spikes, holding them for all he was worth. With every explosion that went off around him, his metal grip only tightened.

"Are you trying to kill us?!"

Shadow paid Omochao little heed as he left a glowing green trail through the woods, zig zagging between the pillars, homing in on the seven haunting vapours.

His opponents moved like nothing Shadow had seen before, they glided through the air with great ease; and although they weren't very fast, at least not in Shadow's sense of the word, they moved quickly enough to avoid him. It was almost as if they could fade into the night and reappear else where; for no matter how fast Shadow ran, the creatures were always in a circle around him. Everytime the black hedgehog got close, they opened a hole in the circle to let him out; then when he returned to confront them, they would envelop him again.

Getting ever more furious, Shadow fired his Chaos Spear at the whispy targets, but it was to no avail. Shot after shot missed the mark horribly, despite the speed advantage. Some shots would crash into trees long before reaching the target, others just missed as the quarry slid away; while the rest were simply off the mark, lacking the clear mind needed to properly guide them to their intended destination.

The spectres responded with their own strikes, glowing red spheres of pure energy. They moved slowly in comparison to Shadow and his Chaos Spears, but these attacks were always on target. They never hit a tree, they never flew past the target, nor did they go wide. They always drove true, aimed straight for the hedgehog, or the ground at his feet, exploding no more than a few metres from Shadow's current position.

Omochao was not having a good time, hanging on for dear life, swinging around like a neophyte in a bull riding competition. As Shadow bobbed and weaved, he would often find himself almost thrown clear off into any number of bushes, branches or a very large rock he barely missed. On one particular turn, Omochao had to swing his legs around to kick off from a tree that his metal hide was about to be permanently embedded into. All of this would have been Hell even without the fire fight.

As the battle trodded on, Shadow was getting fiercer, losing himself in the lust of combat. With each passing instant, his mind filled with more thoughts of hatred and rage; soon, he would be beyond rational thought. Shadow's pace became more erratic, and he fired his Chaos Spear almost totally at random.

The demons showed no change in their pattern, continuing their assault on Shadow, and steadily moving through the darkness. Shadow was becoming an increasingly more dangerous, and equally vulnerable target. His actions were growing more and more chaotic, but to these beings, chaos was their element. The more enraged Shadow became, the more mistakes he made, and the tighter the noose was closing.

They drew him out, making short appearances from all sides, just long enough to draw his attention and to get him to strike; quickly fleeing before the dark one could even get his shot off. For the most part, they didn't even have to attack, Shadow was wearing himself raw with his relentless fury. With each second they distracted Shadow, they moved in closer; working with clockwork efficiency and teamwork, the phantoms had little trouble getting into position. With all in place, it was time to spring the trap.

Off to Shadow's right, another red flash crossed the corner of his eye, drawing his attention, and his attack. The ghost was long gone by the time Shadow fired, but another had rushed ahead, coming at Shadow just as the white bolt left his hands. One massive arm swung at Shadow's head, trying to take it off with long slashing fingers. Shadow shifted to his right just in time to avoid the strike, only to run straight into another. The hedgehog hit the brakes to avoid another outreaching arm, almost running into it when when the trailing Omochao slammed into his back. Two more came at Shadow from the sides, forcing him to leap back to avoid them, then another jump to avoid the first one.

All of the creatures were now swarming the pair; Shadow was totally pinned down, and as his previous bouts with Knuckles proved, hand-to-hand combat was not his forte. Shadow tried to break free of the swarm, but every opening was blocked before he could even make a break for it. Desperate, Shadow tried firing the Chaos Spear, but the monsters were still able to avoid, and then closed the hole, preventing Shadow from trying to follow his attack on the way out.

Shadow was really getting pissed now; picking one of the demons, Shadow charged, ignorant of the others. Leaping to avoid the large hands, Shadow made for what resembled the thing's head, and burst into his spin attack. The vapour pulled away, just missing the fur and steel cyclone. The others came around Shadow as he recovered from his attack, but he wouldn't relent, and launched the spin attack again.

The pillars of flame had a difficult time keeping Shadow in place with this lopsided attack, warped a bit by the extra weight on his back; working hard to keep him under control while avoiding being decapitated. The cage was falling apart, and Shadow was getting more opportunities to break loose. One more spin attack was enough, and the swarm dispersed, letting Shadow and Omochao escape. Shadow's ruby eyes focused on the path before him as he floated through the air, leaving the menace just a few metres behind. But one of the fiends had broken off and was now coming up Shadow's left side, swinging its mighty arm, hurling a red flare right in Shadow's path.

The blast completely blindsided Shadow and Omochao, knocking the pair through the air and rolling through the brush. They came to rest on the cold hard ground; Shadow was face down in the dirt, and through the whole ordeal, Omochao was still clenching onto Shadow's spines. This was quite fortunate for the former as he was knocked unconcious and the Chaos Control had faded. Omochao released his tight grip in order to move up Shadow's back to see if he was alright, other than the fact the the dark one was out cold.

"Shadow? Shadow? You O.K.? It's a good thing I was here or you would have blown up. Hello?"

Omochao knocked on Shadow's head to try and wake him up. A weak grumble came from his mouth, signifying that he was certainly alive; but Shadow was definitely not in fighting form, and those behemoths were circling around. Omochao watched the oncoming spectres, sitting for a moment on Shadow's head before rising to face the monsters approaching the stricken hedgehog.

"You did your job, now leave."

Shadow looked on from his face down position to see the red vapours fading into the night.

"What? Where are they going?"

"They did what they came to do, destroying you was not it. Since there is nothing more to do here, I suggest we return as well."

"You little punk, there's something you're not telling me."

Omochao reached over and grabbed Shadow by the neck, then pulled the two together so they looked eye to eye. Omochao's eyes were normally an odd yellow with a spiral pattern, but now they glowed red. With the dark blue color of Omochao's metal and the night sky, to Shadow the small robot looked like two burning lights with a red mouth, bordered on both sides by a ghostly gray.

"I said we're going home."

Shadow was genuinely startled by the dark appearance of the robot; although he knew that Omochao's face was essentially locked, it seemed as if the comically eerie face had become mortally serious.

Not wanting to argue, Shadow reluctantly activated his Chaos Control, and the pair disappeared in a green fire.

To be continued


	10. Chapter 7: Time is Running Out

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 7: Time is Running Out**_

Shadow stormed around the basement, with only Omochao to hear his ranting. "What were those things?"

"They are called the 'Chronhorod'. They're a form of time police force."

"A police force? I should sue for police brutality."

"They don't have a complaints department."

"How dare they get in my way! I will teach them a dear lesson."

"Shadow, you can't declare war against the Chronhorod."

Shadow spun on his left foot. "Why not?! I took on a madman and crushed him under my boot. And I will do the same to these 'Chronohorde'!"

"That's 'Chronhorod', and they're not the enemy that you think they are."

Shadow leaned over to look Omochao right in his glass eyes. "Oh no?! And what about you?! Just where do you get off trying to stop me?!"

"It was for your own good."

"My own good?! Do you think they could've hurt me?!"

Omochao shook his head. "No, but you are hurting yourself."

"What?"

"When I said that I would help you, I wasn't kidding; you really do need help, but you need help from yourself. If you continue with these attempts, you will only end up destroying everything."

"What in the blazes are you babbling about?!"

"Haven't you noticed that the house is empty?"

Shadow listened, there was no noise in the rest of the house; also the room they were in was dark.

"They're all gone."

Shadow froze, and looked in awe and shock at his small companion. "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

"They are no more. The latest change you've made to history has wiped both Rouge and Bunnie out of existence; both of them were killed during the war with Robotnik. Tails is alive, but he doesn't hang out around here. You spend all your time alone in this dark house."

Shadow was totally beside himself. {How could this happen? Rouge, Bunnie, gone?}

"Yep, they're no more."

Shadow jumped at the metal one. "We have to do something!"

"And what do you have in mind? It had better not be more time-travel; look at the damage you've done already."

Shadow picked up Omochao and shook him violently. "You can't ditch me now!"

"Alright, alright, just put me down!"

Shadow let go of Omochao, but instead of falling to the ground, he floated in the air.

"So how do we fix this?" Shadow said, almost pleading with the robot.

"We go to the hospital. They've been there all day visiting Sally."

Shadow almost had a heart attack. "WHAT?!!! Why you little..."

"I really think you should be there."

* * *

Shadow raced to the hospital with Omochao in tow. High above, Tails was going in the opposite direction.

"Hey Shadow! Wait up!"

* * *

Shadow arrived at the hospital and made his way to Sally's room. Omochao had to give him directions because she was in a different room than Shadow remembered.

As he jogged down the last hallway, Rouge came out of one of the doors and noticed him.

"Ah, so you decided to come back after all. I was worried you were going to stay home and sulk all by yourself."

Shadow was a bit flabbergasted by Rouge's declaration and irate tone.

Rouge calmed down and sighed. "I'm sorry, this whole thing has been tough on everybody, especially you."

It was only now that Rouge noticed Omochao. "Who are you?"

Shadow was a bit confused as Rouge already met Omochao, until he realized that _this_ timeline wasn't exactly the same as the last.

"I'm Omochao, and I'm here to help you."

"Cute, but where did..."

Shadow quickly slapped his hand over Rouge's mouth. "Don't ask him where he comes from."

Rouge shook off the hand over her mouth. "Cripes, you're getting weirder everyday."

"How is Sally?"

Rouge shook her head. "Bad, very bad; she fell asleep about an hour ago, but the doctor just told us that she's in a coma. That's why we sent Tails."

"We didn't see Tails, we must've just missed him. Can I go in?"

"Yeah. Geoffrey's in there right now." Rouge sighed very deeply. "They've got her on a respirator, and there's all these tubes in her. They don't think she'll last much longer."

Shadow slowly left Rouge and entered, leaving the bat with Omochao.

"You're a pretty funny looking guy, aren't you."

"And you dress like a cheap whore."

Omochao got a good dent in his head for that; and Rouge almost broke her foot.

* * *

Inside, Shadow walked up behind Geoffrey, who was sitting at his princess' side as he did the first time this scene played out.

"We're losing her. For so long, I've fought to protect her from any danger. I saved her from Robotnik's initial invasion, and I've been at her side for years; but against this, I'm useless."

Shadow looked over the wasted form of the princess. She seemed even smaller than before, and her fur seemed a very dirty shade of brown. Several transparent tubes ran to needles embedded in her arms. Her face was shrouded behind a facemask connected to a tank. Underneath it all, it looked like she was so sad, not because of her condition, but because the doctors were trying to prevent what she wanted.

* * *

That night, Shadow took a turn to watch over the dying woman.

Never before did he feel so helpless, so lost; even facing Void did not dishearten him as much as the sight of the faltered princess in the bed.

It was almost too painful to look upon the virtually diseased body. Unmoving save for a slight rising and falling of her ribbed chest. Shadow once spent several minutes watching the rising and falling of the probe taped to her chest; it was connected to a box sitting behind him, beeping every second or so, but Shadow paid little attention to it.

While mesmerized by the sickly sight before him, Shadow did not pay attention when the door opened and he was joined by another. It wasn't until the visitor came close before Shadow acknowledged.

"So this is Sally."

Omochao looked down upon the withered form. "Don't take it too hard on yourself, you did a lot to try and help, and were willing to sacrifice everything to help her."

Shadow didn't respond, still looking over Sally's fading body.

"You still don't understand just how much you stood to lose, do you?"

Shadow looked upon the metallic creature with wonder.

"Do you remember what happened so long ago? It was almost a year now, but can you remember what you were like before you joined the Freedom Fighters and defeated Robotnik?"

"I guess I was a bit of a punk back then."

"You were far more than that, do you not remember the words of Void?"

Shadow's eyes sparkled with a frightening glare.

"You were created as a copy of Sonic and warped to the darkness. All of your memories were faked so that you would act like a normal person, except for a deeply hidden hatred for the original. You were to be the instrument of Void's revenge on Sonic, and you were supposed to defeat him. That hatred was supposed to grow and consume you, turning you into a volatile force, bent on humiliating and ultimately destroying him."

"But I'm no longer like that."

"That is only because events have transpired the way they did."

"I have seen that when I have altered the past, I remained unchanged."

"You remain unchanged, but that is because you have done nothing to the past. The Chronhorod have corrected many of the minor faults you have created, for that is their job. They are not evil, they do not try to impede your quest to restore Sonic because they are mean and have some malice against him, but because they understand the ways of chaos; not the 'chaos' you know, but the chaos of time."

Omochao started to float around Shadow's head. "Do you remember what it was that finally convinced you to join Sally and the others in the first place?"

"Yeah, it was Robotnik, after he roboticized Bunnie. I could remember the rage I felt, that was why I joined, and it was that that triggered my Chaos Control."

"That is wrong, it was Sonic's death that did it."

"Excuse me?"

"It is all in the basis of the chaos of time. The slightest change has immeasurable consequences on the future; in this case, it was a very drastic event that had its impact felt in days, not years."

Shadow was getting annoyed by Omochao's descriptions without coming out with a straight answer. "Are you saying that Sonic's death had a direct impact on Bunnie?"

"Yes. In another dimension, a parallel universe to this one, Sonic didn't die, and the events of the last year have been drastically altered. The first change was Bunnie, on the day of Sonic's funeral in this world, events happened much differently in that world. Sonic would find himself at Bunnie's patch, just as she was captured by Robotnik's robots."

"So he was going to save her from being roboticized?"

"Not entirely. He arrived in time to stop them, but by then, Bunnie had already been placed in the roboticizer and the process had started; the result was that the procedure was incomplete, and Bunnie was left as a half-rabbit-half-robot creature. She was very appreciative of Sonic and joined the Freedom Fighters, offering them her newly given strength. Becoming friends with Sonic, made you detest her as well."

Shadow stood silently, he couldn't even contemplate a cyborg Bunnie, let alone that he would hate her.

"It would only get worse. Over time, you would only cause more interference with Sonic and the Freedom Fighters; instead of winning against Robotnik, they were losing. Slowly, their numbers dwindled; many had died or were roboticized. Geoffrey had died in that battle that you had first joined in this world. Sonic had survived and defeated the robots, but there would be no help for him."

"Tails was also captured and roboticized, and Bunnie was fortunate, her death was quick."

"No!"

"That is what happened. Robotnik had finally found Knothole, pointed out to him by Rouge. Bunnie had been fighting against the oncoming hordes some months after that fateful day that Sonic did not die, and was crushed under a tank, first her robotic legs, then her living body; painful, but quick."

"No, it can't be."

"It was over. All resistance to Dr. Robotnik was soon trampled, and the final blow came with Sally's capture; after that, everyone simply surrendered to their fate."

Shadow simply stared at him in shock.

"Rouge had been paid for her services: a load of jewels, and a steel body in place of her soul. Sally was taken prisoner, but she was spared death and roboticization for a worse fate, and now resides in Robotropolis as Queen Sally Robotnik; but she is Queen by name only, and is a slave to him, no more than a trophy of his ultimate victory."

Shadow was left totally lambasted; he could never believe that this would transpire. He looked down at the pitiful creature, unable to even fathom her sitting on a steel throne.

"There is only one hope left, Sonic still lives, and he still runs; but he is now left totally aimless. Everything he knew is gone, Sally is now Robotnik's and there is only one thing left in his life: vengeance against the one who had tormented him far more than Robotnik ever did."

Shadow felt that Omochao was laying it on rather thick, but he knew whom he was talking about.

"This is why I had to stop you."

"There's got to be another way. What you said could not be totally true. There must be an infinite number of permutations of the future, the chaos of time as you put it would dictate that the future can take almost any path."

"Ah, finally you are learning. Surely you are correct; this is but one path that would occur if Sonic had lived, but it is the one closest to the reality that you now exist in, and other possibilities are no less bleak. There was only one good way for all to end. Once you entered the scene, Sonic had to die."

"If I entered the scene? What if I never came?"

"Under most conditions, had you not come to the Great Forest and Sonic had lived, then things would have ended up better than you coming, but not as well as is now. And if you had not come and Sonic had still perished, the future would have been most dark."

Shadow was totally depressed. "Bunnie, Rouge, Geoffrey, Tails… Sally?"

The two of them remained silent for a moment.

"I only wanted to help her, to save her from her grief. She'll only fall deeper at this rate. What can I do if I can't bring Sonic back to her."

"There are still other ways to fix what is wrong. She can still be saved from her despair, and you have all the time in the universe if action is taken fast enough."

"What? What do you mean? What can I do?"

"There may be little you can do, although you have a part to play, if it be nothing more than the quest of Aragorn at the Black Gate."

Shadow recalled the tale he heard long ago, a fable about a group of adventurers that sought to destroy an evil power; and how a king had risen to go to war, for no other reason than to delay the forces of darkness until the deed was done.

"You have the power to travel through time, but you have limits to what you can accomplish, and you will also have to contend with the guardians of time. You cannot defeat them, but you can draw them out."

"Then who is to do the task? You?"

"I can control time, which is why I can safely pass from time to time, space to space; but I cannot go alone, I cannot open the portal to and from, I can only follow. You can take me through the passage of time, to a point where all can be made well; but we will need one more, one who can affect the flow of time, to prevent this despair. You have been trying to change the past while risking your future, but we now need someone who can change their future and save Sally's as well."

"Who?"

"We need someone who is close to Sally, much closer than you, and possibly closer than even Sonic was."

To be continued


	11. Chapter 8: Set Her Free

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 8: Set Her Free**_

"You want me to what?!"

"I want you to come with me and Omochao back in time to make a change and possibly save Sally."

Geoffrey was completely shocked at Shadow's utter gall for suggesting time travel as a solution. "I heard you the first time, but I still don't believe it."

"Look, it works like this. My Chaos Control is able to warp time, and I can carry you and Omochao to a point in history. While there, you can enact some change to the past that will hopefully put a bit of bounce back in Sally's step."

Geoffrey thumbed towards Omochao. "And what does he do?"

"Omochao will keep you alive. Things that travel through time tend to experience certain ill side effects. My Chaos Control protects me, but there's nothing to protect you. So while I take care of any outside interference, you and Omochao will go and 'tweak' history a bit."

"And just what 'tweak' am I supposed to do. You can't just go around willy-nilly altering history."

"I know, but Omochao has already figured out the most minor change possible that'll get the results we need with the least damage."

"And that is."

Omochao joined the conversation when Shadow motioned to him. "Do you remember Sally's birthday, the one a few months before Sonic's death?"

Geoffrey thought for a minute. "Yes."

"Do you remember when you met Sally and Sonic that evening, after they left the party?"

"Yeah, they were… Wait a minute."

Shadow smiled. "We want you to go back and stop yourself from interfering."

"You want me to go back there and let them… let him…" Geoffrey was getting angrier at the thought.

"What? Have sex? For crying out loud Geoffrey, they're not little kids you know; they're fully mature adults."

"You don't get it you perverted hedgehog! She's a princess, royalty! She can't go bedding with any ruffian that catches her fancy."

Shadow bore an estranged frown on his face. "Especially not Sonic?"

"Yes, least of all… him."

"Then who is she supposed to go with, you?"

Geoffrey was sent over the edge by Shadow's taunt. "How dare you! How could you even think that I… that I would ever…"

Geoffrey's voice was going silent, and he turned away from Shadow.

Omochao floated up in front of him. "You loved her, but you always felt that you couldn't never be more than a guard. Then when she met Sonic and fell in love with him, it made you even angrier."

Shadow huffed. "Look, this is going to be very uncharacteristic of me, and just plain sappy, so I won't say it more than once. Does your hatred of Sonic matter more to you than your love of Sally?"

Omochao turned to Shadow. "That was very sappy."

"I know, and if either of you say anything I'll deny it, then kill both of you."

Geoffrey was left alone in his thoughts, ignoring what Shadow and Omochao were bickering about. He could barely fathom what Shadow had suggested, actually allowing Sally to have sex with Sonic, it was inconceivable. He just couldn't allow that heathen to sully his beautiful princess, no matter what he or she wanted. But that was it, Sally did want it, and he got in the way. For the longest time he always tried to protect her, and Sonic was as much a threat as anything in this world; but to Sally, he was an overbearing barrier. She wanted Sonic, and without him, she was falling into a hole of despair so deep that it would soon destroy her. To let her have Sonic defied everything he believed in, but Geoffrey loved her so much. Perhaps the old saying was true; if you love something, set it free.

"So, when do we start?"

Shadow and Omochao turned their attention to the skunk, a far more silent and reserved skunk than the one they came to with their plan.

"I want to help Sally, even if it means letting her have Sonic."

"We start immediately. Rouge is out collecting Power Rings, this is going to take a lot of them; we go when she returns, and we have to get you ready."

* * *

"Is this really necessary?"

Shadow was strapping Omochao onto Geoffrey's back. "It is if you want to survive this little trek."

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Just that matter has a terrible time surviving these jumps through time. Omochao can survive, and I'm protected by my Chaos Control; but if I brought you back with no protection, you'd make a lovely nuclear device."

"If you're trying to build up my confidence, you're failing miserably."

"Build up your confidence? Why the Hell would I do that?"

Geoffrey rolled his eyes into his head.

"Do not worry, as long as you stay within a few metres of me, you'll be safe."

Geoffrey turned his head back to see as much of the robot as he could. "If that's the case, then is it really necessary to tie each other together like this?"

"No sense taking any chances."

Shadow pulled tight the last strap. Omochao didn't feel it, but Geoffrey did. "A bit tight, isn't it?"

Shadow walked in front of the skunk. "Alright, let's get everything straight. I'll carry you and Omochao back to Sally's last birthday before Sonic was killed. You stop yourself from getting in their way while I hold off the cops. When you've finished, and _they've_ finished, I'll pick you up and return to our time."

"That sounds way too easy."

"We'll keep the plan simple, and if things get hairy, wing it."

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

* * *

Rouge returned a few minutes later with a load of Power Rings, bringing Shadow's total supply to well over 300.

"You think that's enough."

Shadow was putting the rings away. "I hope it's enough."

"I get the feeling that I've done this many times before, but I don't remember it."

"I remember it, and you were as sad and worried as now."

"Then I have nothing to say." With that, Rouge placed her hands to Shadow's head and brought him in for a long kiss.

Off to one side, Bunnie stood watching the couple, barely managing to hold back any sign of her dismay.

Behind her, Tails was having trouble trying to keep himself from laughing out loud at the sight of Geoffrey with Omochao tied to his back.

Geoffrey looked oddly at the smile on Tails' face. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing." Tails snickered.

Geoffrey almost wanted to beat the little snot into a pulp, but he knew he couldn't do that. He looked over to see Rouge kissing Shadow goodbye. For a brief instant, he saw the image of Sally kissing Sonic, and it made him wince. He was about to just give up on this whole plan, unable to go through with the whole plot of getting the two together; but no, he had to do it, no matter much it hurt. He snapped out of it, and realized that they had better get this over with before he did change his mind.

"Are you going to just stand there, or are we going to do this?"

Shadow and Rouge broke off the kiss.

"I'll be back before you know it."

Shadow snuck in a quick last kiss before completely leaving Rouge.

"Alright; if everybody's ready, let's do this!"

Shadow walked over to Geoffrey and took his hand. "Hold on tight, this is going to be a bumpy ride."

In the blink of an eye, Shadow's body burst into the telltale green flame of the Chaos Control, which grew and enveloped Geoffrey and Omochao. Within a second, all three had vanished.

Tails was still waving goodbye, even after they were gone. He stopped and looked over to the two women, both looked equally depressed. "Are you two O.K.? Shadow'll be back."

Bunnie wasn't really feeling any better, but she did snap out of her lull. "I know."

The two of them looked over at Rouge, who was still quietly caught up in her own thoughts.

{But I won't know it...}

* * *

Through the drift, a dark green comet shorn a path through the rainbow spectrum.

* * *

In the Great Forest, at an indeterminate location, the green blaze fired up and faded away, leaving behind two of the voyagers.

Geoffrey looked up to the sky through the breaks in the green covering. It was in the evening, not yet dark, but the light would be gone within the hour. He had to hurry, nightfall was the time he had to be in place.

"What's wrong?"

Geoffrey turned back to try and see Omochao behind him.

"Shadow dropped us in the middle of nowhere. It could take hours just to find a marker. We didn't post road signs; it's kind of pointless to have signs pointing to a secret base."

"Well duh, fortunately my internal computers have already located the party. Now follow my instruction. Look straight ahead, then turn 20° to the left. Now, go straight ahead."

Geoffrey looked in front and now found himself pointing straight at a tree.

"Go around the tree, stupid."

Geoffrey was rather perturbed.

* * *

Shadow was back in the drift, scanning the vibrant color of the background for the impending assault.

Reaching to his ear, Shadow switched on a small communicator, which extended a small microphone to his mouth.

"Come in 'Tin Man', 'Todo' calling 'Tin Man', over."

"Loud and clear, Todo. Over."

"Good, you mind telling me what these dumb names mean?"

"Later Todo, over."

"How's 'Scarecrow'? Over."

"A little disoriented, but otherwise fine, over."

"Right. Over and out."

{If I find out that 'Todo' is something really silly, I'm going to recycle his ass.}

Shadow waited, conserving as much energy as he could. As Omochao had said, time and space were warped in this place, so the job would only take a few minutes from Shadow's standpoint. But his ring supply would only last about 10 minutes, and any interference would cut into that; so every second counted.

As he waited, a dark shadow reached out, pushing away the vibrant color like a dark toxin spilled in a pristine lake; a shadow that mirrored the darkness long buried in Shadow's soul.

"Come to me little ones, for I am waiting..."

* * *

Geoffrey continued through the brush, slowly getting his bearings. Off in the distance, he could hear the muffled sound of people.

"I was just talking with Shadow, everything's going fine so far."

"Good. We're not far, it should be just over that hump over there. Why didn't you let me talk to him?"

"Time distortion, unless you can talk at about 3 words a minute it would've been a waste of time."

"Then how about you talking at that rate now, we're getting close."

Geoffrey crept past a tree and looked out into the opening. Just ahead, was a group from Knothole sitting around a small campfire, roasting marshmallows and telling campfire stories and the like.

"Is that it?"

"That's it."

* * *

Geoffrey had taken a position in the woods surrounding the birthday party. It was a small clearing a good walk from Knothole. Because of the threat of Robotnik finding it, they couldn't have the party in Knothole itself; the noise and the fire were potential beacons for the vile doctor, so both were kept to a minimum. But all in all, it was still a party; Princess Sally's 21st birthday, and it was meant for celebration. By all accounts, she was at the age she should have been made Queen; but Queen of what?

Sonic joked a bit and called her "Queen Sally", and most called her that at least once through the day; but while sitting and watching, Geoffrey knew there was at least one person who didn't call her that.

It was getting dark, and the party was breaking up. The fire was being carefully put out to limit the smoke, and the party goers were making their way back to Knothole. Each was in charge of cleaning up some trace of their presence, even Sally helped in rounding up the discarded plates and cutlery.

Sonic was also picking up the plates, but he enjoyed eating the last little bits of cake that anyone failed to consume.

Geoffrey continued to look around and watch the careful clean up operation when he saw it; in the back of the clearing, standing in the group but not part of it, was the stoic figure of his former self. As always, he was in command of the situation, making sure that everything went like clockwork.

The Geoffrey from almost two years ago appeared as the staunch drill sergeant he always did, not flinching a bit in his duties; but the older one knew better. Every other second, Geoffrey's eye cast a glance over to Sally, and then to the blue hedgehog that was often too near.

Only the older one truly knew the hatred he held for Sonic, rivaling and even besting that which Shadow felt.

When the place was almost restored to a natural looking state, people started the trek back to Knothole before it got dark. Many wished Sally one last "Happy Birthday" when they passed, until she too joined the progression. Sonic trotted up next to her and offered her his arm. She took it and they headed back together.

Around the dying embers of the fire, the last figure was watching the couple leaving the scene. The watcher paced around the clearing in a brisk walk, following the rest. As the last, it was Geoffrey's duty to watch the trail to make sure no trace was left that pointed the way, but he usually was focused more on Sally just a few paces ahead.

"And there goes the knight in stupid armor."

"Hey!"

The older Geoffrey left his hiding spot and followed his younger self, waiting for a moment to get him alone.

* * *

Off in the distance, a small group of flying comets headed for the scene, passing through the bright void towards the passage to Mobius. But when the streaks of red arrived, they found that entrance was barred, blocked by a fierce field of blackness that cloaked the area.

The demons fired energy bolts at the void to repel it, but the field held fast, allowing no one to reach Mobius of that time. The attack continued, with all of the creatures focusing on one spot in the inky darkness, slowly forcing the cover back.

From the depths, a pair of hideous eyes looked out, and found amusement in the attempt. At this rate, it would not take long to muscle through; but certainly, he would not allow that.

"'Come into my parlor', said the spider to the flies."

To be continued


	12. Chapter 9: Time's Up!

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 9: Time's Up!**_

The Chronhorod continued to assail the blackness that barred entrance to Mobius. The darkness retreated slightly under the weight, but its source would not permit that any longer.

From the sheath of darkness, Shadow aligned himself with the invaders.

"Chaos Spear!"

The blazing light fired through the darkness, piercing the barrier, and charged the fiery wraiths. Most of the demons avoided, but one was clipped by the bolt; spinning a bit through the cosmos before straightening out.

From the depths came an evil laugh.

"Come and get me, suckers."

* * *

Back on Mobius, Sally had just finished checking on Tails and the other children; something she did every night, and her birthday would be no exception. After exiting the hut and blowing a few last kisses inside, she rejoined Sonic.

"Can I walk you home?"

"You may."

Sonic escorted Sally back to her hut, though it wasn't a long way as Knothole was relatively small. As they reached the door, the call was made for lights out; around the small clearing, lit windows grew dark as lights were extinguished and window blinds were closed.

Sally turned on a light when she entered.

"I'll see you tomorrow, your highness."

"Tomorrow? Come now, stay a little bit, it's too dark to be outside."

Sonic was a little surprised, not fully realizing that Sally wanted a bit more from her 21st birthday than she already had. The two had been going out for a while, so the hedgehog didn't think it was too strange. "Well, if the birthday girl wants it…"

Sally pulled Sonic into her hut, and then went around to close all the window shades; first to block out the light, and second to block any passing eyes.

One such pair of eyes came from Geoffrey, watching very intently the pair. Another pair watched him; these were the wiser eyes of the older Geoffrey.

Right on queue, his younger self marched towards Sally's hut, ready to chew out Sonic for his midnight stroll.

This was it, clutch time. Geoffrey hesitated for a minute; scared by the possible outcome of his actions, and even more so, actually meeting himself.

Omochao noticed Geoffrey's pause. "Hey, are you awake over there? He's moving."

With a deep breath, Geoffrey almost leapt out of the bushes, and charged towards the younger skunk.

As Geoffrey reached the door to Sally's hut, he received a quick tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me a minute, but I need your help."

Geoffrey turned; ready to quickly dispatch this jerk, until his eyes looked into the other pair of eyes.

"Mind if we talk over here."

The older one grabbed the younger and pulled him into the bushes, too startled to resist the kidnapping.

* * *

The Chronhorod continued to pepper away at the black void, slowly pushing it back; all the while, Shadow remained relatively safe in his dark home, launching a counterattack at the vicious crew.

Shadow remained much more calm this time, knowing that all he had to do was hold of the invasion; getting angry wasn't going to help, but that didn't stop him from getting a little battle crazed.

"What's a matter? Can't get to the wee little hedgehog?"

Shadow let out a hideously maniacal laugh as he continued to taunt the red flares with the occasional shot from his Chaos Spear.

* * *

"What the Hell are you? A robot clone?"

"Hardly, I'm you."

Young Geoffrey stormed up to old Geoffrey.

"Then what is that?"

"I'm Omochao and I'm here to help you. No wait, I'm here with him, not you, even though you are him, or will be him. Are you confused yet?"

"Listen here, I came back in time to stop you from making a horrible mistake."

"A mistake? Keeping that blue fiend away from Princess Sally is a mistake?!"

The older of the two hesitated again; even he would have wanted to stop whatever was going on between Sally and Sonic in her hut. "Yes."

The younger Geoffrey poked the older in the chest. "That's not very convincing."

The elder grabbed the youth's hand.

"You listen to me, and you listen good. I may not be too much older than you, but over the last year and a half, I have learned more than you did in your whole life; so butt out."

"And just what do you know? Care to tell me that?"

Geoffrey hesitated; saying too much would risk ruining everything. "No, no I can't."

"Then you have nothing to say to me Mr. Whomever-you-are."

The younger Geoffrey shook out of the older's grip and turned his back, heading back to Sally's tent, even angrier than before.

"Well, that went poorly."

"You have an incredible ability to state the obvious."

"I would have said something else, but I wasn't programmed for satire."

* * *

Back in the drift, Shadow continued to defend against the swarm. The Chronhorod danced wildly around the black mass, trying desperately to push through. From inside, Shadow tried to hold the barrier in place, while occasionally firing his Chaos Spear through the murk when the fiery assault was getting too close. Though his shots were often on target, the flaming specters were always able to slide out of the way in the instant before they hit.

The demons had taken a new tactic; they focused their power on two sides, squeezing Shadow in a sandwich. The hedgehog was unable to defend against a focused attack on both sides, he'd fire his Chaos Spear at one group, only to let the other group gain some ground.

It would take only a few more seconds before they pushed far enough to open the path to Mobius, so Shadow had act fast. A quick check of his pouch showed that he still held over 100 rings, not a lot, but enough for a desperate move. Summoning his strength, Shadow commanded the power of the Chaos Control to his hands and into a small sphere. Unleashing a power he had not used in many months, Shadow swung his arms out to release the Chaos energy.

"Chaos Blossom!"

Dozens of bolts of white energy flew out, spreading as they traveled, heading in the two directions of the attack.

Outside of the mass, the Chronhorod were in for a treat when they found themselves on the receiving end of a plasma shower. The large barrage was too fast and too dense to avoid completely, and several of the creatures were hit; some were barely nicked, others were slammed hard.

The barrage paused for a moment, giving Shadow a second to breathe, and he needed it; he could even feel the drain from that last attack. His Ring supply must have taken a good hit, so Shadow thought it best to clue Omochao in on the situation.

"Omochao, come in Omochao… Oh brother. Come in 'Tin Man', over"

"Tin Man here, what's happening, Todo. Over"

"Better tell Scarecrow to finish up, I'm running out of juice, over."

"E.T.A. Over."

{E.T.A? Estimated Time of Arrival? Oh, how long do I have.}

Shadow checked his ring supply, which had just enough to pick them up and return to their time.

"One second. Out."

* * *

"Leave me the Hell alone you jackass. I have no idea what turned you two into best buds, but the Sonic I know is a total wretch, and he's going to have Sally over my dead body."

{An eerie choice of words to say the least.}

The young Geoffrey tried to distance himself again from his older counterpart, and partially succeeded when Omochao distracted him the fastest way he knew, a light head butt to the back of Geoffrey's head.

"Ow, what do you want?"

"Geoffrey, Shadow's power is running out; we have to finish this and leave."

Geoffrey was rubbing the back of his head. "Just give me a few more minutes."

"We don't have minutes."

"Then give me 15 seconds."

Geoffrey ran up to his younger self. "Come back here."

The skunk turned to face his older self. "I'm tired of talking…"

Geoffrey interrupted him not with words, but with his fist; sending his former self to the ground.

"Now you listen to me you fuck! You stay the Hell out of there and leave Sally alone. She doesn't need you pampering her or trying to run her life, so leave her be; otherwise you will live to regret it, and she probably won't."

"Time's up."

The younger Geoffrey watched in amazement as a green light enveloped his future self, carrying him away. He was alone, with a sore on his left cheek as a reminder.

* * *

Back in the present, Shadow, Omochao and Geoffrey were once again in the former's home.

"So, how'd it go?"

Geoffrey didn't respond, he simply stroked his face where he struck his former self.

Realizing he wasn't going to get an answer, he looked around. "Where is everybody else? Omochao, has anything changed?"

Omochao detached himself from Geoffrey's back. "Only some minor changes, most of the people you know haven't changed and don't realize what you've done. Rouge is upstairs; Bunnie and Tails are not here."

"Am I married?"

"No."

"Kids?"

"No."

"Good."

Shadow headed out of the room, followed by Omochao and Geoffrey.

* * *

The trio ended up in the kitchen where they found Rouge cooking.

"Hey hun, supper'll be ready in an hour. Hello Geoffrey and… Who are you?"

"I'm Omochao and I'm here to help you."

Rouge was a little bit flustered by the presence of the metallic creature. "My aren't you a little darling."

"Where's Bunnie?"

"Bunnie? She's been out at the farm all day. Yeesh, you better not be losing your memory already, I wasn't planning on looking into retirement homes for another 50 years."

Geoffrey tapped Shadow on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but we should be a little bit more interested in Sally."

"Right." Shadow turned back to Rouge. "I'll be back for supper, we've got business with Sally."

"See you later."

Shadow, Geoffrey and Omochao headed out.

"Rouge doesn't usually cook, could changing that night have affected her."

Omochao answered. "No it didn't, and you've got a nasty surprise coming when you return."

Shadow started to pout. "Not her goulash again."

* * *

Back in the past, Geoffrey paced around the back of Sally's hut; with every second that passed, he just seemed to get angrier and angrier. His steps matched the pace of the sounds from inside, each moan, gasp and cry.

At any second, he could've stormed in and beaten Sonic to a pulp, screaming "Rape!" or some such thing. But what would Sally do, and what about what his future self had told him; the bruise on his cheek told him he didn't dream it. His threat was very real, and very frightening; could it be possible, could his actions of that day have actually cost Sally her life.

At this time and place, it was beyond Geoffrey to understand what was going on, but the pain on his left cheek was a bitter reminder. Slowly, he stepped away from the hut, and decided to head back to his own.

All this was giving him a headache.

* * *

Shadow, Geoffrey and Omochao made their way to the town hall where they found Sally in a meeting with the heads of the rebuilding committees.

Rotor was in charge of getting the water works up and running and was almost finished the daunting task. "We expect to be completed in a week, and we want another week for any last tests before turning the water on full."

"Very good. I look forward to completion of the water systems." She thought to herself. {I haven't had a good shower in years.}

A cat had been put in charge up getting the power grid back online. "Excuse me, your highness. But if the water works are nearing completion, I was hoping that some of his staff could be reassigned to help with the power turbines. We're already two months behind schedule."

"No, we'll wait until after the water works are finished. I don't like leaving jobs half finished. Once the water works are finished, then we'll start reassigning."

The cat accepted the answer and wouldn't pursue the argument any further.

Sally noticed that Geoffrey and Shadow had appeared by the door, but stepped out when they saw that she was busy. "Is there any more business?"

The cabinet had nothing to present.

"Then we'll conclude for today, ladies and gentlemen. We'll reconvene at the usual time at week's end."

The committee chairs left while Sally waited at the table, answering a few questions from some who didn't leave immediately. Geoffrey entered as the heads left, Shadow and Omochao followed.

The stragglers finally made their way out as Sally turned her attention to Geoffrey. "What is it, Geoffrey?"

Geoffrey was quite shocked at the change. The Sally he left behind was comatose in a hospital bed, and starved almost to a skeleton. This Sally was very mush alive, healthy, and much larger; she wasn't fat by a long shot, but a little bit larger than he ever remembered her to be.

"I apologize for this intrusion, your highness, but I just wanted to report that all was well, and to ensure that everything was well here."

"Always the boy scout." Sally smirked, then looked over to notice that Shadow and a strange metal thing had accompanied him.

"Oh, yes, I also wanted to let you know of a visitor. Princess Sally, this is Omochao."

"'Princess'?"

Geoffrey's eyes shot open. He was looking at Omochao who was trying to mouth a word to him; though his metallic lips were impossible to read, Geoffrey guessed what he was trying to say.

"I'm sorry, Queen Sally."

"An odd slip, sometimes I wonder if you treat me like a child."

Sally stepped forward. "So, welcome to Mobotropolis, Omochao."

Omochao bowed nobly. "It is a pleasure to be here, Queen Sally."

"I'm afraid there isn't much here, but you're welcome to our hospitality."

"Thank you, but I won't make a pain of myself. And I would like to offer my services if you have need of me."

"We appreciate that."

From outside a female called into the room. "Your highness? Miss Sally?"

Everyone looked towards the main door as Amy entered, holding a package in her arms.

"Prince Comet is getting a bit cranky; I think it's his dinnertime."

"Thank you, Amy."

Sally picked up the bundle. Shadow and Geoffrey looked at each other before getting a look at what Amy had brought in; a white sheet wrapped around a small blue hedgehog.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but this is a bit private."

Geoffrey saluted. "Yes, your highness."

"Why don't you show Omochao around?"

"Of course."

The trio started to leave when Sally called to the skunk. "Geoffrey, are we still on for Friday?"

Geoffrey stopped. "Friday?"

Omochao whispered to him. "Your date on Friday."

"Oh yes, yes I am, we are… uh, yes."

Sally smiled. "In need of a personal assistant, eh? You'll have to tell me where he came from."

"NOOOO!!!!!"

"I was created by…"

END


	13. Chapter 10: And Now a Word…

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 10: And Now a Word from our Sponsor?**_

"Hello, I'm Omochao, and I'm here to help you understand some of the stupidity that's happening in this story. First of all, Black Mantle, whose real name is..."

POW!!!

"OW! You're mean! Anyway, this is the end of Act 6, but Act 7 should be appearing later in August if his big mean boss doesn't drive him into his grave."

"Second, In case you were wondering, the drift is an alternate dimension of very low energy. With its low entropy state, there is nothing to maintain proper structure; so dimensions of time and space have totally collapsed in on itself. This makes it a great place for interstellar travel as you can travel light years by moving only a few metres; even time is warped and is mixed with the normal dimensions of space, so you can travel through time by moving in the right direction."

"Finally, you're probably thinking that's it rather convenient that Sonic and Sally had sex and suddenly she's pregnant. By the way, those two were way hornier than Shadow and Rouge are, but don't tell them that. Actually, Comet was conceived much later; there was about 8 months between Sally's birthday and Sonic's death, and boy were they going at it. Comet was conceived about 1-2 months before Sonic's death, and born shortly after Robotnik's defeat."

"And so, there are the answers to your biggest questions. And might I add, that if you're looking for more fan-fiction to read, I suggest Mako-chan's excellent story, Adventures with Omochao; it's a really fun story with lots of me. Of course, everybody loves me."

"YOU!!!"

Omochao was suddenly hit with a book. The robot picked up the book bearing the title "The Wizard of Oz".

"Uh oh."

"YOU DARE CALL ME A DOG!!!"

"Bye bye, now."


	14. ACT VII: GROWING PAINS

**Act VII: Growing Pains**

**A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by Black Mantle**

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

It is known that the worst enemy is the one you fight inside your soul. Sally almost died because she couldn't face her demons; now other demons threaten to darken the heart of another whose sorrow is tearing them apart.


	15. Chapter 1: Exposé

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 1: Exposé**_

Summer was a beautiful time of year, and this was the first truly beautiful summer day that was seen in the Great Forest in many years. Robotnik had fallen almost a year ago, and since then, the people of Mobotropolis have been busy rebuilding their old home; and that made today even lovelier.

The beaches around Mobotropolis were officially opened after being declared completely free of any remaining toxins from Robotnik's rule, and with the sun shining bright with only a few clouds in the sky; it was time for some fun in the sun.

The opening of the beaches was a pretty big event, and everyone reveled in it as such events were very sparse over the last decade.

Sally oversaw the ribbon cutting ceremony. A large pink band was tied between two large posts at one of the entrances; and with the customary oversized scissors, she cut the stripe to officially open the sandy rest area.

* * *

It certainly didn't take very long for the beach to get fairly full; it wasn't crowded, there weren't enough people in Mobius to fully pack it in, but it would still have been difficult to find a few square feet to set your towel down.

All up and down the stretch were waves of people wearing all kinds of swimming costumes; an odd sight when you consider that about half of them didn't wear clothes normally.

Sally had taken a nice plot and was teaching Comet the finer points of sand castle building, but the wee one was more interested in showing his mother the gratitude of demolition. In stark contrast to her blue vest, Sally wore a conservative one-piece suit of lavender; while Comet who was not even a year old yet was still wearing a diaper.

Some distance away, Tails, Amy and several other of the younger crowd had annexed enough space to set up a volleyball court. Tails was also overdressed in a pair of green trunks. Amy stood out like a sore thumb, wearing an orange sundress that was similar to her normal clothes.

Some distance away in the other direction; Shadow and Rouge had reserved a decent sized plot, and planted their beach towels, picnic basket, and a large parasol. Shadow wore a pair of trunks similar to Tails', but colored blood red. Rouge was wearing one of the most unique outfits ever seen in Mobius; although it covered as much area as Sally's, it was a mix of opaque fabric and transparent mesh, making it look as if someone had simply glued various pieces of fabric on all the right places that would not stay in place otherwise. The pair decided to simply lay out and feel the rays.

"A little odd seeing you totally inert."

"Funny. I can't wait to see your tan lines, you look like something out of an anime."

"What? Some trashy hentai crap?"

"No, just the usual alien babe with scraps of clothing that defy all the laws of physics."

"Listen here, I don't take fashion advice from a guy who races around in nothing but sneakers."

Rouge pulled out a pair of sunglasses similar to a pair Shadow was already wearing, then laid down with her arms at her sides; whereas Shadow has folded his behind his head.

"You haven't seen Bunnie yet, have you?"

Shadow turned his head to quickly look around. "Not yet. I hope she shows up soon, it'd be a shame to miss this; besides, she said she'd bring the cooler with the drinks and ice cream bars."

* * *

It was almost half an hour later when a few last stragglers came to the gate, amongst them was a rabbit in a white robe and a yellow sunhat, in her left hand was a small box with a blue lid and handle.

Bunnie really didn't know what to make of the scene, she couldn't recall ever being to a beach before; for the last few years she spent most of her time tending fields, and the nearest ocean side land was well in Robotnik's territory and definitely not safe for any living being.

She walked out into the grainy terrain, and the first thing that struck her was the feel of the sand between her toes; it wasn't like rock, more like very dry dirt that was ground into a powdery substance. As she walked, searching for Shadow and Rouge, the sand was getting into her fur; but it didn't feel sticky or dirty, just getting caught in her fur.

Bunnie looked out at the bright blue water. She remembered so long ago, learning how to swim, but it was so long ago, and she wondered if she could pick it up again. The water seemed totally clean and inviting, but most people stayed on the beach or in the shallow water; it would seem that most people weren't too confident in their skill either.

After searching for another minute, she soon found Shadow's place and carefully weeded through the other patrons to the spot.

* * *

Rouge looked over to see Bunnie coming up on the other side of Shadow.

"We were worried about you, almost thought you weren't coming."

Bunnie jittered a bit. "Just had tah get some last things ready."

"We saved you a spot." Shadow moved the picnic basket back to reveal a space big enough for one next to him.

Bunnie laid the cooler next to the basket and set the last towel on the semi-solid surface. As soon as her hand was off the plastic handle, Shadow reached for the cooler and pulled out an ice cream bar.

"Want anything?"

Rouge glanced over. "Ginger ale."

Shadow pulled out a metal cylinder painted a dark green, and handed it to Rouge.

Bunnie knelt down on the towel, patting down any lumps before toying with the straps on her robe.

"You gonna wear that all day?"

Bunnie looked at Shadow who was eying her hesitation.

Rouge took a sip from her soda before making her own comment. "You said you bought a new suit yesterday, so lets see it."

"It's just a little something Ah threw on."

Slowly, she undid the knot and slid the front of the robe to her sides, then down her arms to the ground.

Shadow whistled. "'Little' is right."

Bunnie stood, wearing the bear minimum of fabric that would dare call itself a swimsuit. Made of a golden brown colored fabric; the top consisted of two palm sized triangles centered on each breast, connected by small cords running around her torso and up behind her neck. The bottom half wasn't any bigger, one slightly larger sliver of fabric reached between her legs from the front, and disappeared into a slender cord that was hidden between her cheeks; and emerged just under her tail to reach around both sides to hold the main piece in place.

Rouge giggled at the absurdly revealing outfit. "Nice; you'll definitely catch the eyes of the boys, in that outfit."

Shadow swallowed a bite of his frozen snack. "You should be more careful of the boys who want you out of that suit."

"Yah don't like it?"

"Are you kidding? You look hot in that."

Rouge agreed with the "hot" part, though she still thought the suit was overly risqué. "Very, of course I wouldn't wear anything like that mind you; a bit too brash for my tastes. You should have come with me last week, I saw something that would have been ravishing on you."

"Ah thought something like this would've been right up your alley."

"Hardly; if I was going to wearing something that skimpy, I'd go in nothing at all."

Bunnie was peeved that the normally seductive Rouge was coming just shy of calling her a slut.

Rouge returned to her sunbathing, while Shadow finished off his ice cream.

"So, you going out for a swim, or just rest up? Or are you going out on the prowl?"

"Ah don't know, it's been a long time since Ah've been out swimming; maybe Ah'll just stay on dry land."

"I think they're doing swimming lessons down the beach later. But if you're staying on dry land, I'd avoid the volleyball games; in that outfit you'll likely get more bounce than the ball."

Shadow chuckled, and Bunnie joined in. She softly spoke to her self. "Ah wouldn't mind trying that."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Ah'll just stay here."

Bunnie laid on her back and snuggled into the towel, pushing an impression into the sand underneath, a little disappointed that she didn't get a bigger reaction from Shadow.

* * *

A few minutes later, a small clock that Rouge had brought went off.

Bunnie looked over to see Rouge getting up. "What's that?"

"Time to flip."

"Huh?"

"If you lie on one side for too long you can get a sunburn at the worst, or at least a real uneven tan."

"Ah know about sun burns, it can happen when working out in the field too long."

"Right, but if you want an even tan, flip onto your front." Rouge looked down at Shadow. "And what about you?"

"I have thick black fur, how am I gonna get a sunburn?"

"Suit yourself."

Shadow paused for a minute, then flipped over anyway.

"You were saying?"

"It was getting uncomfortable on my spikes."

"Whatever." Rouge looked over Shadow's spiny head. "Hey Bunnie, you gonna take your top off?"

"Am Ah what?!"

"Your top, are you going to untie the straps; otherwise you're going to have tan lines crossing your back and neck."

Rouge climbed over and tugged at the knots to release the straps around Bunnie's back and neck.

"What now, Yah gonna take mah bottom off too?"

"Don't be silly. Just remember to tie those back before you get up."

Rouge walked in front of Shadow to return to her spot, and noticed him munching on another ice cream bar.

"Another one, how many of those have you eaten?"

"This is the 2nd, honest."

"You had better save us some."

"Bunnie brought the whole box."

"That doesn't mean we _eat_ the whole box."

Rouge finished her walk to her towel, then turned and leaned down to talk right into Shadow ear.

"I was talking with Sally the other day, and she said Sonic had quite the voracious appetite."

Shadow finished the mouthful of ice cream before turning his head towards Rouge.

"Your point is?"

"Nothing, I just thought you'd like to know."

* * *

The bright day continued on.

The sky was a gorgeous cyan with puffy white clouds that seemed to glow with the light of the sun.

Spotting the clean canvas were small black specks that lofted high, the shadows cast by a flock of birds passing well overhead.

They were totally ignorant of the crowds beneath them, and of the huge orb whose shadow dwarfed theirs. A large sphere, casting a circular phantom over the golden sand and the entourage enjoying it. With time, the shadow grew larger and stronger, locking in on something that would dare to be even darker than it, hoping to trounce it and demonstrate superiority.

POP!

Shadow jumped from his towel at the shot. Bunnie and Rouge were equally startled by the burst, as was anyone nearby.

"What the Hell?"

"Our ball."

Tails, Amy and group of other kids ran up to Shadow, following their rogue beach ball. Shadow reached behind him and pulled the tattered plastic hanging from his spines.

"Sorry about that."

Rouge brushed her hand down Shadow's back. You ever think about getting those trimmed?"

"Blasphemy."

Tails, and some of the children started to giggle and snicker a bit. Shadow wondered what was so funny, especially after they lost their ball, then he looked over.

"Hey Bunnie, speaking of things round and bouncy, I think you lost something."

Bunnie looked around, then looked down to see that in the spur of the moment, she forgot her top.

"What are you… Ack! Rouge!"

Shadow and Rouge couldn't help but catching a giggle at Bunnie's expense as well.

"Hey Bunnie, your fur doesn't cover those brown spots."

Although her fur was a bit thin, her arms were plenty thick to cover her freed chest.

Shadow, being his normally blunt self, corrected Tails' quirky comment. "Those are nipples; everyone has them, though girls prefer to keep them covered. Some weird sensitivity thing."

"You can't see Sally's. Hey Amy, does your fur cover your nipples."

Amy was not amused by the intrusive comment. "You total pervert!"

Out of nowhere, Amy pulled her Pico Pico Hammer, and gave Tails one good smash to his face.

Back to Bunnie, the rabbit was trying to reach down to her towel while holding her right arm over her chest. Rouge helped out by taking her top.

"Give me that!"

"Calm down, don't draw attention to yourself."

Rouge circled around Bunnie and tied the top strap around her neck, then draped the front over her chest.

Bunnie gave anyone close enough another look when she released her breasts to align the top of her suit as Rouge tied the back.

"Yah total bitch, this is your fault."

"It was an accident. I'll make it up to you, I'll pull my suit down."

Shadow coughed to grab their attention. "Excuse me, but there are still young eyes around here."

"Oh don't be so prudish, it'll be an educational experience, a lesson in biology."

"If they want biology, let 'em play 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours'." Shadow turned and shooed away the audience. "Alright, off with ya."

The children left the scene with the tattered remains of their ball, still giggling over their first experience with soft-core porn.

"Bunnie, are you alright?"

Bunnie shrugged Rouge away. "Don't touch me! Ah've never been so humiliated."

"Don't be so serious."

"Ah'm going home."

Bunnie pulled on her robe and hat and stormed away.

Rouge looked over to Shadow. "Sensitive little thing, isn't she?"

Shadow nodded in agreement, his mouth stuffed with another ice cream bar.

"Stop eating those!"

To be continued


	16. Chapter 2: Truth or Dare

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 2: Truth or Dare**_

Later that afternoon, Shadow and Rouge returned home; they figured that Bunnie would've come right back after her incident.

"Is Bunnie here?"

Rouge listened around; her acute ears easily detected the sounds from upstairs.

"Yeah, she's upstairs in her room. Let me talk to her, a woman-to-woman thing."

* * *

"Bunnie?"

Rouge knocked softly on the door.

"Go away!"

"I want to talk."

"Ah don't want to talk to you."

"Please." Rouge snuck open the door and peeked her head in.

Bunnie was laying face down on her bed, crying into her pillow; she had since changed into her normal clothes. "What do yah want?!"

"Please, I wanted to say I'm sorry."

Bunnie was almost insulted by Rouge's innocence. "Oh yeah, right. You enjoyed it."

"I know I laughed, but it was a spur of the moment thing, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Ah was humiliated!"

"Oh knock it off. Do you think you're the first woman to have a slip of her swimsuit?"

"It was your doing!"

"It was an accident."

"No, this is more than some accident, yah've been humiliating time and time again."

"What?"

"Ever since yah came, that's all you've done; making me look like a total fool."

"Now wait a minute, what are you talking about?"

"Shadow, this is all about him, and how the two of yah have been playin' me like a cheap whistle."

"We both care about you very much."

"Care? Ah don't care about either of yah!"

Rouge was starting to get miffed by Bunnie's attitude. "Then why are you even here?"

"Ah don't know anymore, so Ah'm leaving."

"I hope you enjoy living in a tent."

"Anywhere away from yah'll is fine by me. Ah hope yah have a nice life together!"

Without really thinking Bunnie went to the dresser and opened the drawers, randomly pulling out whatever articles of clothing were there and tossing them on the bed.

"We can do just fine without you."

"And why would Ah hang around with a right whore like you."

Now that had gone too far. "You little brat. What did I ever see in you, what did Shadow ever see in you?"

"It's obvious what he sees in you, just some two-bit piece of tail he can screw around with every night."

"How dare you, I love him!"

"Ah love him!!"

Those three words in that southern dialect hit Rouge like a lightning bolt.

* * *

Shadow had just come out of the bathroom connected to the master bedroom and was trying to hear the conversation between Rouge and Bunnie, to no avail; he lacked Rouge's acute hearing and had to settle with knowing that it was very heated by only the volume.

{Damn walls.}

* * *

"You love him?"

For Rouge, it was all falling into place. For the longest time, it did seem odd that Bunnie stuck around, but Rouge never quite got it. She thought of Bunnie like a little sister or a daughter; no, more like a stepdaughter. Rouge knew there was something between Shadow and Bunnie when she came, but their relationship always seemed more familiar than romantic.

"That's right, until yah showed up and started pawing at him."

"I don't recall him being too interested in you when I arrived, are you sure you're not just blowing some girlish crush out of proportion."

"Ah never had a chance."

"Oh, so this was just starting when I arrived. Well, I don't think you have any real claim to him then, it's not like you were longtime friends."

Bunnie's anger was starting to decay to another crying fit. "He saved mah life."

"And mine. Let me guess, the whole Dr. Robotnik's robots and the roboticizer bit; try again."

"Ah actually was roboticized."

Nope, there was no beating that; Rouge had to admit that Bunnie had certainly one-upped her with that.

"That should be me with him, Ah should be the one sleeping with him every night; hugging, kissing, cuddling..." Bunnie was coughing as she cried.

Rouge's anger was gone, and she felt sorry for the young rabbit. For so long, she thought of her as a child, but she really wasn't that young; in fact she was already into adulthood, and Rouge couldn't help but think that maybe she was contributing to her maladjustment. It was time to stop treating her as a kid.

"Bunnie, I'm sorry..."

"This is all your fault!"

"But you haven't been very fair either; not once did you try to tell Shadow how you felt, and you had plenty of opportunity I'm sure."

"Not with yah hanging off his arm all the time."

Rouge was starting to get angry again, but kept it down on simmer. "That's a lame excuse; you just didn't have the nerve, and chickened out. That's what it is, isn't it? I've seen you, and how shy you can be."

Bunnie was listening, but it still felt like the bat was giving her a lecture; she didn't like it one bit.

"I see that look in your eyes, a gaze of hatred; I know it well, and how destructive it is. I want to make it up to you, I still want us to be friends."

"Friends?"

Rouge tried to guide Bunnie to the bed to sit and talk; but when she placed her hands on Bunnie's shoulders, she was shrugged off.

"Why did yah have to get in the way?!"

"You just need to learn how to communicate better; let me tell you something about guys. Guys are stupid; if you want them to have sex with you, it's no good pussyfooting around with small hints. You gotta walk right up to them, tear off your clothes, and declare 'screw my brains out!'"

"Yah've got little trouble getting your message out."

"You should have seen my first big play: standing before him naked and motioning to him to join me. That's not a subtle message."

"I know; I saw it."

Rouge almost choked. "You were watching us?!"

"Yeah, and ever since yah've been flaunting yourself in front of him, keeping him under your boot as your little play thing. And keeping me out of sight."

"I don't keep anyone under my boot; me and Shadow have something going. And as far as pushing you out; I was trying to be friendly with you, not pushing you away."

"Don't give me that bull. I've had it with yah putting me down, and treating me like a little kid. I'm out of here."

"Don't go."

"Make me."

Rouge stood her ground and stared Bunnie right in the eyes. "Alright, I'll make a little deal with you. You don't leave, instead I will; for all of tomorrow Shadow is yours. When I return the next morning, if you can convince him to choose you over me, I'll leave for good."

Bunnie was feeling a little less furious, but definitely a bit confused. "Yah'll what?"

"I'm totally serious. Tomorrow he's all yours to do with whatever you want. You want sex, go for it; if you really have the nerve."

Bunnie was still having trouble taking in just what Rouge was saying, and weither she was being set up. "What's the catch?"

"Just this, you don't tell him about this bet. You won't threaten to leave or blackmail him or anything. I'll tell him what's going on."

"Yah'll tell him? Why should I trust you?"

"I have to explain why I'm leaving for a day, and why you'll be putting the moves on him."

"Or I'll be lookin' a might bit stupid. Wouldn't I?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell him, honest; of course, I won't tell him how you really feel, that's _your_ job."

Bunnie wasn't sure what to make of it, she didn't trust the bat, but she did want a chance at Shadow. "I'll take yah word for it."

"Good. I'll tell him that you've been feeling neglected and that he should spend some time with you tomorrow to cheer you up. After that, I'm giving you one free day with him, to counter the months I've had with him. If he chooses you over me, then I'll leave. If not, then we can call it a fair fight; you can try and steal him from me if you want, but I'll be working extra hard to keep you off."

Bunnie considered it for a minute. "One whole day?"

"I'll stay as far away as possible."

"Deal, but tell me one thing. Why are yah offering me this chance?"

Rouge smiled. "Let's just say I don't want you to go all 'Hand that Rocks the Cradle' on me."

Bunnie looked at Rouge with a questioning glare, not understanding the reference, half thinking Rouge was making fun of her. "What does that mean?"

"That would take too long to explain, but let's just say that I've been around long enough to know to make as few enemies as possible." 

* * *

In the main bedroom, Shadow was already lying down, reading a book when Rouge entered. "What were you talking about?"

"Something we should be talking about."

"Does it have to do with sex?"

"As a matter of fact; how did you know?"

"Because I couldn't hear what you were talking about except when you screamed 'screw my brains out'."

"Oh, that. We have to talk about Bunnie."

"What's wrong?"

"She's feeling totally neglected, we've been spending too much time together and she's feeling left out."

"Left out? We were all at the beach together, but I guess we weren't doing all that much."

"It's more like you weren't spending time with her. Anyway, I'm heading out tomorrow and leaving the two of you alone so you two can get better acquainted."

Shadow found that a little bit strange. "Why not you?"

"Because she feels that I'm the reason she can't get closer to you, she sees me as an intrusion."

"The 'step-mother' syndrome."

"Something like that. Now, I've got to get my sleep, I'm leaving early in the morning."

Rouge crawled into the bed, and made sure there was no playtime between her and Shadow. Her hearing was sharp, and it was obvious that Bunnie didn't trust her, so she knew that the rabbit was waiting behind the door. Once she was sure that Bunnie was no longer listening in, she nudged Shadow and silently regaled to him the talk she recently had with the rabbit and how she didn't see Shadow as a father figure, but as a lover.

To be continued


	17. Chapter 3: My Date with Shadow

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 3: My Date with Shadow**_

Morning came, and almost before Shadow could rub the sleep out of his eyes, Rouge was dressed and out the door.

The black hedgehog finally got up, showered, and came down to get some breakfast, all the while thinking about what Rouge told him.

* * *

_{You really haven't been paying much attention to Bunnie, you know.}_

{How do you mean?}

_{When we were talking, she told me something very interesting; she loves you. I don't mean in a platonic or familiar way either, she lusts after you; she moved in with us in hopes of booting me out and taking my place.}_

{You can't be serious.}

_{I'm deadly serious; her dream is for you and her to be together, romantically and sexually.}_

{Bunnie?}

_{She's not some kid you know; her breasts are almost as big as mine. She's a fully-grown woman, even though she is much younger than us; and that's why we've been treating her as such. We've seen her more like a little sister or daughter; Hell, we've been living together for so long it's almost like we're husband and wife.}_

{I have never considered you as my "wife".}

_{Maybe not, but we've grown too accustomed to this family for all the wrong reasons. Bunnie doesn't want to be our daughter, she wants to be your lover; so I made a bet with her.}_

{I take it this has something to do with you leaving tomorrow.}

_{She was threatening to leave, with a lot of pent up hatred; so I offered her one chance at you. For all of tomorrow, you're hers, with me totally out of the picture; free to do whatever you two want, and whatever she could convince you into. Don't make it easy on her, her real problem is that she can't gather her own strength and bottles everything up; plus she doesn't know that I'm telling you this.}_

{And just how far does she want to go?}

_{If she can muster the courage to ask, I figure she'll want you in the sack every second I'm gone.}_

{This could be fun.}

_{You would, wouldn't you.}_

{This is for her benefit, and I'm always glad to help; besides, this is _your_ idea.}

* * *

All jokes aside, the conversation he had with Rouge last night was quite unnerving. Rouge was right about one thing: he did see Bunnie like a daughter; or more specifically, a younger sister.

He thought back, diving into the memories that were falsely created by Void, but was the only history he knew. His mind caught glimpses of a small girl hedgehog, Maria his sister. By his recollection, Maria was several years younger than him, and if she were real, she would now be about Bunnie's age.

All that made him even more offset; in many ways, he was treating Bunnie the way he would have treated Maria. This led to a twisted thought of seducing his sister, something that made even Shadow sick to his stomach; even his dark heart could not fathom such a disturbing notion.

Could Bunnie really be in love with him; and if so, how would he react to her?

The more he thought about it, the worse he got; he just wanted something to put an end to his misery. It arrived just then, walking into the kitchen.

"Good morning."

Shadow looked across the table to see Bunnie standing in the doorway.

"Morning."

Shadow turned to the rabbit, and for the first time, took a real good look at her. She stood before him, just a bit smaller in size than he; but her arms and legs were a bit larger, padded with a fair bit of muscle tone from her work on the farm. She stood dressed in her usual garb, a pair of blue jeans with the legs cut off, emphasizing her toned legs and her sculpted hips. Her top was a red shirt cut off at the midriff and tied together beneath her breasts; revealing a good bit of cleavage between her chest that was about as large as Rouge's, and her stomach that was very tight and almost rippled when she moved in the slightest. Her face was the only thing that was really different; it still bore her youthful appearance, but also a hint of sorrow in her green eyes, half concealed under her purple shaded lids.

"So, where's Rouge?"

Shadow tried to remain as calm and oblivious as possible, despite what Rouge told him. "She went out this morning. You want some breakfast? I have some scrambled eggs there."

"Sounds good."

Shadow got up to get the pan with the leftovers while Bunnie went to the cupboards to get a plate; they met while trying to reach the complementary item, almost ignorant that the other had already retrieved it.

After the near mishap, Shadow stood back and scraped the eggs onto Bunnie's plate.

"You got a fork?"

"No."

"I'll get one."

Bunnie sat down while Shadow put the pan back on the stove, and pulled a fork out of a drawer.

"Orange juice?" Shadow asked as he delivered the utensil.

"Yes please."

Shadow fetched a glass and placed it on the table next to Bunnie's plate. He sat down behind his own plate, and took the carton of juice already on the table.

"Good eggs."

Shadow poured out the juice into Bunnie's glass. "Thanks."

The two, each almost too scared to talk, simply sat there, eating breakfast.

"So what are you doing today?"

"Not much, I'm taking a few days off from the farm. Not much going on right now; all the fields have been planted, nothin's ready to harvest, the other hands can maintain it for a while."

Silence returned.

"You gonna hang around here, or go somewhere?"

"No plans, but its a nice day out."

"Gonna hit the beach again?"

Bunnie almost scowled at him. "Not until Ah get mahself a new suit."

Shadow chuckled a bit. "Oh, sorry."

Bunnie almost frowned at him, but after a few seconds, she let out a small chuckle.

"See, yesterday wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, Ah guess so."

"Right, now finish your breakfast; Rouge is out for the day, so it's just you and me..." Shadow had to stop himself before he called Bunnie 'kid'. "So, what do you want to do?"

Bunnie was still a bit scared of what she wanted to ask, and that all this was happening so quickly. She envisioned what might happen if she dared to ask for sex; unfortunately for her courage, it never materialized into the act, only disaster. No, she'd have to wait; no one wants sex early in the morning anyway.

"Well, Ah don't want to hang out here all day."

"What about Rallier Park, they've got a nice little outside restaurant there where we could go for lunch; and I heard they're renting bicycles."

"Bicycles?"

"Holy cow, have you missed out on all the fun things in life?"

"Ah was raised on a farm, all we had were hop scotch and jacks."

"Well, at least you had that; I can't wait until they finish the movie theater, you're gonna have a conniption."

* * *

Shadow and Bunnie headed to the park on the East side of Mobotropolis. The clearings were wide open and covered in deep green grass, crisscrossed by pathways covered in gray cement.

Around the perimeter, handfuls of shops dotted the landscape. Like much of Mobotropolis, there were still many vacancies as the populous wasn't nearly big enough to fill the area of the recently destroyed and rebuilt city.

Shadow and Bunnie found themselves at a strange store, the likes of which the rabbit never saw before. Outside, she saw various people with odd two-wheeled vehicles.

"Are those bicycles?"

"Yeah, they can be a little hard to handle at first; we could always get one with training wheels."

Before reaching the store, the pair saw some others leaving wearing some odd shoes with wheels mounted on them.

"What are those?"

"Those are roller skates."

"Ah want to try those."

* * *

A few minutes later, Shadow and Bunnie came out wearing the rolling footwear; both were having some trouble adjusting, but Bunnie was almost falling down.

"How are you finding it?"

"Its a bit odd, Ah never tried anythin' like this before, or wore shoes for that matter."

"No kidding, Daisy Mae."

"'Daisy May'? Ah wish you and Rouge'd stop with those odd city references."

"When this place gets television, we're going to sit you down in front of it for a week, 24 hours a day; I swear your head will explode."

Shadow held out his hand. "Come on, I'll hold you up."

"Ah'm not some little kid that needs..." Bunnie tried to move in the skates, only to find her legs going in two different directions, and her butt heading for the cement. It would have hit too, except Shadow grabbed her arm and held her just above the ground.

"Are you sure?"

* * *

The hedgehog and the rabbit made their way around the park. Slowly, Bunnie was getting the hang of the skates. Shadow was a little rusty at first, but he got used to it pretty quickly; despite the fact that he never actually roller-skated in his life.

As they traveled through the park, they drew quite a few eyes, primarily from those who knew them. Sure, most knew who Shadow was, but many of them ignored him and Bunnie, seeing them as nothing more than the usual boy-girl pair who often hung out around the park. But to those that really knew Shadow, it was quite the sight to see him with Bunnie; they knew she lived with him and Rouge, but now there was something gossip about.

Neither of them paid much attention; Bunnie was having too good a time, and Shadow simply ignored what most people thought anyway.

* * *

"Oh, this is so much fun! We never had anything like this back on the farm."

"Glad you like it. You wanna go a bit faster?"

"Yeah." Then Bunnie realized who she was talking to. "No wait!"

"Too late."

Shadow took off; to Bunnie it almost felt like her arm was going to be ripped out of the socket.

"AAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!"

Up and down the park's walkways, a black wailing blur streaked past the onlookers; all watched in amazement at the ghastly object running amok on this peaceful day.

"Ssssshhhhaaaaaaaddooooooowww! Ssstooooooooooop!"

The hedgehog could hear the cries of panic from his passenger, but he chose to ignore them.

Bunnie's wild ride came to an abrupt end, when her skate hit a rock on the ground, and she was sent flying. Her trip into a nearby trashcan was halted when she was caught by the very one who drove her on this erratic trip.

"Shadow, yah jerk; Ah could've been killed!"

"You complain too much; that was fun, admit it."

Bunnie shrugged as Shadow set her down, her wobbly feet were almost unable to keep her upright. After a moment, Bunnie calmed down; she really never felt in danger with Shadow there, but that didn't stop her heart from racing at a million beats per minute.

"Alright, it was a little bit fun."

"See. Want to go again?"

"No!"

"Just kidding, let's go back and get some lunch."

* * *

After returning the skates and paying an additional fee to replace the half melted wheels, Shadow and Bunnie went to a small restaurant that had tables set up outside. The pair took a table and ate lunch; Shadow had a turkey sandwich while Bunnie had a garden salad.

"Do you want to try the bicycles later?"

"After what yah did to the skates, Ah don't think they want us within 100 miles of there."

"Hey, it's their fault if they can't make a decent set of wheels."

"How many pairs of shoes do yah go through?"

"I don't buy a pair of shoes unless they last me at least a year; mind you, it's rather difficult to find shoes with steel-belted radial soles."

"Ah'll bet." Bunnie mindlessly agreed with the statement, even though she's rarely seen a car other than Robotnik's tanks, and had no idea what steel-belted radials were.

"How's your salad?"

Bunnie was almost not paying attention. "What? Oh, yeah, it's very good."

"You not enjoying yourself?"

Bunnie was thinking; here it was, almost 6 hours since Rouge left, with night being almost useless she only had about 8 or 9 hours left to convince Shadow to dump Rouge, and she didn't think she was doing well enough. She figured that if she could get him in the sack that night, she'd have a chance; the problem was the short time she had to convince him to take her, and a small restaurant out in public was not the place to be putting on the moves.

"Ah'm having a good time, it's just that Ah'm trying to decide what tah do this afternoon."

"I'll admit, this place isn't exactly an amusement park, but there are things to do. There are some tennis courts a bit west of here if you want to play, or just watch. The beach is out. How about mini golf?"

The wheels started to turn; Shadow just gave Bunnie a hint of inspiration. The rabbit was thinking of something that all couples did at some point, so she and Shadow should be no different; after all, the beach problem had to be rectified.

Shadow could see the glow in her eyes.

"So where do you want to go next?"

To be continued


	18. Chapter 4: Bunnie's Initiative

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 4: Bunnie's Initiative**_

"Me and my big mouth."

Shadow found himself in the middle of a clothing store, carrying several boxes in his arms; though none were very heavy, they took up all the space in his arms and then some.

"Are you really gonna buy all this? And why are you buying winter clothes? It's the middle of summer."

"It's on sale, if Ah bought this in the winter it would cost a fortune." Bunnie held up a sweater on a plastic hanger. "Do yah think this would look good on me?"

Shadow looked at the garment, made of white wool with red roses embroidered around the front and back like a chain draped over the shoulders.

"It looks very nice."

Bunnie smiled at Shadow's satisfaction, then tried to hand the sweater off to him; but Shadow's hands and arms were already full with her other purchases. Looking around, she turned Shadow around; holding up the hanger, Bunnie placed the hook over one of Shadow's inverted spines.

"Perfect."

As if the humiliation of being in here wasn't enough. "Great, now I'm a coat rack."

Bunnie goaded him on. "Don't be such a grump."

"How much more are you gonna buy? I can't take much more."

"Ah just need one more item. Wait here a minute."

Shadow stood in the aisle; he wondered how long his arms would hold out. He also wondered how much of a chump he looked like, hanging out in the women's section of a clothing store, carrying a horde of packages. Of course, the explanation for his being there was the classic "wife/girlfriend dragging her husband/boyfriend in to hold her stuff" bit, but he still felt really silly.

"What d'yah think?"

Shadow couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Bunnie was holding a black swimsuit over herself; a full sized one-piece that covered everything quite well, and not a strap to untie to be seen.

"Now that is gorgeous."

* * *

Shadow and Bunnie made their way home; the latter had to open the door for the former who was still bogged down with three armloads of packages. Once Shadow was in the door, he dumped the bags and boxes on the carpeted floor.

"Hey, watch it with those."

"Sorry, I've never had to carry that much over such a distance."

"And Rouge doesn't have yah carry her stuff?"

"She has a car."

"A car? That big white thing she has in the..."

"Garage?"

"Yeah, it's weird looking."

"She rarely uses it, nobody else around here has a car and she feels totally out of place driving around in it."

"But Ah bet she feels so grand in it."

Shadow heard the change in tone in Bunnie's voice with the conversation turning to the topic of Rouge.

"Why don't you put these away, and I'll go fix dinner."

"Alright."

* * *

Bunnie brought her packages upstairs, requiring two trips to get everything upstairs. Twice she saw the door leading into the master bedroom, the place where Shadow spent with Rouge every night.

* * *

Downstairs, Shadow was toiling over a boiling pot, dumping a box of long slender stiff rods into the water. As he nudged the pasty colored strings around, he wondered just what Bunnie was thinking. He wondered if she really felt the way Rouge told her, and if so, she was definitely as shy as Rouge had suggested; not that he was giving her too many openings.

* * *

Back in Bunnie's room, the rabbit had put most of the clothes away, save for the swimsuit that she was looking over quite intently. She thought about the incident with the skimpy costume yesterday, but that didn't really bother her; instead she was thinking about tomorrow. She bought a new suit for the purpose of going back to the beach, but it would be tomorrow before she would have a chance to use it; and by then, Rouge would be back.

It was pretty much a waste to have bought it, she so wanted to go back to the beach alone with Shadow; it looked like it could've been so romantic, if everyone else wasn't there. The day they had was definitely a good first date, but it could've been so much more.

"That would've been perfect."

She laid the black suit on her bed, and sighed.

* * *

Bunnie came downstairs to find Shadow performing a most unusual act, flinging strands of spaghetti at the kitchen wall.

"What are yah doing?"

"Checking the spaghetti until it's the right stickiness."

Shadow had to do a double take when he saw Bunnie, standing in the kitchen in her new bathing suit.

"You look beautiful in that."

"Thanks."

"I bet it would have been better if you had that suit yesterday."

Instead of screaming or wailing like she did yesterday, Bunnie was finally over her embarrassment and laughed.

Shadow returned to the pot, stirring the spaghetti.

"Dinner'll be done in a few minutes."

"And why are yah flinging our dinner at the wall?"

"That's how I tell if it's ready."

Shadow picked up a few strands with the large plastic fork, and selected one with his fingers. With a snap of the wrist, the spaghetti flew through the air and splattered into the wall above the pile that had fallen from that very spot earlier; this one stuck there.

"It's ready."

* * *

Bunnie and Shadow ate the spaghetti dinner the hedgehog had prepared, the rabbit still wearing the swimsuit. For the time that they dined, the conversation remained small, brief comments about the food were the main source of speech.

After they were finished, they cleaned up the plates in the sink; Shadow washed, Bunnie dried. The two were side by side, and very close together. While there, their hips bumped together. The first time was strictly innocent, but it sparked something in the young woman. With the thin fabric of her suit, it was almost like direct fur-to-fur contact. Figuring it was a perfect hint to drop, Bunnie nudged a little closer and let her hips bump into Shadow's again.

Shadow got the hint; the contact between their meaty midsections with only a thin piece of fabric in the way was turning him on.

{Holy cow, she really does want it.}

With no objections coming from the hedgehog, Bunnie was getting a little more voracious, and started grinding her hip into his. It was really turning her on, her hips caressing Shadow's, rubbing and stroking his fur, with only her swimsuit in the way. She imagined herself without the slightly prohibitive outfit, their flesh and fur in direct contact; the heat, the sweat, the passion.

The feeling was definitely not lost on her target; Shadow was feeling the heat as much as Bunnie. He struggled hard, trying not to let his emotions give him away, resisting the urge to push back on her; he didn't want to say anything, but if he did nothing, what message would he be passing on then?

Bunnie was getting ready to really put the moves on when she abruptly stopped; Shadow felt it too, and both quickly looked down to see that Bunnie' suit was hooked on one of Shadow's spines. The pair panicked.

"Oh no."

"Hold it."

"Yah'll tear it."

"Don't move."

The pair fuddled mindlessly with the catch until Shadow eventually shrugged Bunnie's hands away and took care of it himself.

"Just hold still."

Shadow meddled with the fabric and his spine. Bunnie was a bit embarrassed, but her attention was focusing on Shadow's hands, now working on her suit just above her buttocks, occasionally meeting her flesh under the suit. She dreamt of Shadow graciously fondling her rear, clamping her meaty behind and messaging it.

"There."

Shadow freed Bunnie from his hook, and her suit bore no permanent damage.

"Oh good."

"That was close."

"Uh, yeah. No harm done."

"No, you look fine."

"Ah should do somethin' about…"

"I can finish up here, maybe you should change out of that."

"Right, Ah'll slip into something else."

Bunnie trotted away, half ashamed of what happened, but in a way relieved; convinced that Shadow now got the message, she just had to capitalize on it.

* * *

Shadow had finished the dishes and went to the living room, taking a newspaper and reading through it. He was reading a story about a forest fire in a distant land when Bunnie came into the room and sat on the couch with him. Bunnie was back in her regular clothes, having taken the time upstairs to adorn herself in the outfit that was less fragile than the swimsuit, and to build up her confidence.

With the pair on the chair, Shadow put down the newspaper and turned to her.

"So, is there anything else you want to do? Play cards, checkers, go out for an evening stroll?"

"Nah, Ah'd prefer to just hang out."

Slowly, Bunnie leaned forward and kissed Shadow right on the lips. The hedgehog had fully expected that this was coming, and when Bunnie broke the kiss for a second and returned, he joined in. In seconds, Bunnie had moved completely over Shadow, wrapping her arms around him, though not going into his spikes; Shadow had done the same, wrapping his arms around her back. Bunnie was pressing down on him, pressing her breasts into his chest, and straddling her crotch over him. It took a while, but eventually their lips separated.

"So, that's your idea of a night together."

"That's nothin'. Ah'd like to show you exactly what my idea of a fun time at night is." The look in her eyes was very revealing, even if Rouge hadn't told Shadow what to expect.

"Well, this is a bit surprising. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, don't you?"

Shadow had to phrase this carefully, he had reservations about Bunnie right from the start, but he didn't want to break her heart, or reveal how much Rouge had told him earlier; plus screwing her might be fun, even though he tried to bury that thought very deeply. "If you really want to, of course I will; but it would change a lot of things."

Bunnie wasn't sure what to make of Shadow's combined agreement and resistance. "This is about Rouge, isn't it?"

"No, well, partially, but there's more to it than that. If you want sex, then I'd love to do it with you; Rouge doesn't enter into it, it's not like we're married or anything."

"Then yah don't need her, Ah can do anything that she can."

"You're asking me to throw out Rouge, but that's not it." Shadow motioned for her to get off him before he told her the full story. "Do you remember me telling you about Void, and the family I thought I had?"

"Yah."

"I had a sister, or I thought I did; she's just a memory concocted by that creature. But in real life, I have you; I see so much of her in you. I've grown too comfortable with having you as my little sister."

Bunnie sat in silence.

"I know it's not right, but it's just too hard to let that go."

"So… we can never be together."

"Bunnie, I love you very much; and if you no longer want me to treat you as my 'little sister', then so be it. If you want us to be lovers, I am willing to try."

"And Rouge?"

"I love her too; I'm sorry that things worked out this way. If I could go back and change things so that we could be together, I would, but it's not fair to her; I can't just push her aside after all that's happened."

Bunnie sat there, sad that she had failed to convince Shadow; but in a way, things may be a little better now. She now had a better understanding of how Shadow felt, and more importantly, he knew how she felt.

"Bunnie, are you alright?"

She didn't answer, she just thought about what Shadow had said. Shadow was also caught up in his thoughts; the hidden urge to take advantage of her really didn't enter into it, but the debate over appeasing Bunnie's desires and the consequences of such action was very brutal.

"If you still want to, we could…"

The rabbit wasn't really sure about what she wanted anymore; she had to think for a bit.

Bunnie moved forward and rested herself against him.

To be continued


	19. Chapter 5: Morning After

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 5: Morning After**_

"Oh, what a beautiful sight, like something out of a paining."

Bunnie's eyes slowly batted open as she awoke, still in Shadow's arms on the couch. As she gained her bearings, she looked behind to see Rouge standing over them.

"Rouge?!"

Shadow had now woken up, looking at Rouge standing in front of him with Bunnie in his arms; under normal circumstances, this scene would've been a catastrophe, but it was Rouge who set it up to begin with.

Bunnie jumped up from the couch, almost in response to being caught; then quickly straightened out her clothes, which she fell asleep in.

"My, it looks like I missed quite the night, or did you feel guilty about doing anything behind my back?"

"This was your idea."

Rouge giggled at Shadow's statement. "You're right, but you should have seen the look on your faces when I woke you up; it was like a man and his mistress being caught by his wife."

"Hardy har har."

The bat turned to the rabbit. "So, it looks like you didn't have the nerve after all; just how far did things go?"

"Far enough."

Rouge noted the slight tinge in Bunnie's voice. "Still harboring a grudge?"

"No, just a little disappointed in mahself."

"Well, chin up; and if you have any problems, I really wish you'd come and talk to me, I'd be glad to help. In the meantime, I've had quite the night and I need a shower."

Rouge reached over and grabbed Shadow's arm, pulling him off the couch and dragging him away. "Come on, I need someone to scrub my wings."

Bunnie watched as the pair left, and sighed. All the while she had something nagging her, and quickly looked around the floor. Under the coffee table, thankfully not seen by Rouge, was a pair of panties that were dropped there last night. The rabbit picked them up and quickly pushed them in a pocket.

"He's not yours yet, not by a long shot."

END


	20. ACT VIII: THE LAST NOT STANDING

**Act VIII: The Last Not Standing**

**A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by Black Mantle**

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

After several months, I've finally gotten around to finishing this.

I'll be moving into some new territory starting with the next act, but now is the time to tie up one last loose end.


	21. Chapter 1: Pain

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 1: Pain**_

"Aaaarrrgghhhh!"

"The pain, the searing pain!"

Dazed, stumbling through the darkness…

"Aaaaahhh!"

"Please stop."

Clutching his chest, his heart cried a vicious wail.

"Nnnnggaaahhh!"

Vision was a mess, clouded, shrouded, masked in darkness.

"Help me! I need help!"

Another bite rocked through him.

"Nooo!"

Another scream in the night.

* * *

The trees rose to the nightmarish sky like long spires of some twisted planting, and sought to torture the stars that dared to shed any light on the plains save the garish glow of the ground. Even in the dark light, the giants cast warped shadows over the rocky ground, crisscrossing over each other in an archaic mesh, as if each tree had it's own light to cast a shadow just for itself.

Below, a small figure by comparison, staggered over that terrain, under the giants, through the shadows.

Each step seemed almost random in how the foot fell over the ground. Some steps were made one at a time, very slow until the full weight was put on them, and they slammed into the ground; others came in a chain of staggers that triggered the next as the lost soul needed to constantly adjust to keep from falling to the dirt.

The figure stumbled right into one of the evil towers, slamming into it with a horrendous "whap". The recoil sent it to the dirt, with the fall, a renewed sharp pain ripped into the back and through the chest.

"YEEEAAAARRGHH!!!"

With great trouble, the lost soul turned over onto its chest and lifted up on its hands and knees. The legs on this living table almost faltered when the pain struck again. The right hand clamped onto the searing pain, followed by another scream. Crawling towards the nearest tree, the beast used it to rise to its feet and to try again. With slow deliberate steps, the shadow continued on, lost in torment.

How long had it been? It felt like years since the last memory that did not involve dark twisted trees, or a sky made of a living nightmare, or the burning in the chest.

The stranger wandered even deeper into the woods, looking for a way out, a clearing, a path, or any piece of evidence of previous visitors who knew their way better. Alas, there was little relief in this place; the forest extended for an eternity in all directions except into the ground and into the sky, but there was no point trying to go in either.

The first break in the vicious terrain for many months was not a kind one; along the ground was a rare disruption of the terrific mundane, a swirl of blackness that traced an erratic path through the ground. The black water flowed fast, but like everything in this place, made no noise on its own.

The vagabond eventually reached the bank of the flow that was more like ink than water, but it was water, an evil water, but water nonetheless. For the weary body, a touch of water to the parched lips would be good, a brief respite in this horrid environ.

Lying on the stomach, the lips reached down to the lapping waves of the current and touched it. The water had no taste or feel, but it still felt good.

Looking down, an image presented itself to the stranger, the first clear sight in a long time. The picture was clear and perfect, unlike the being gazing into it, haggard and masked by darkness. It was not a mirror of himself that he saw; no, he was the dark and twisted reflection in the water, and what he saw was real. A familiar face, a real face, one with real eyes, and real ears, and a real nose and a real mouth; it was an image the shadow had not seen in ages, nor could it remember the true face until now.

Sonic gazed at the water, in awe of the perfect image of himself.

* * *

It was as if the trees were trying to block his movement; Sonic stumbled through the forest, unable to find his way through the twists and turns. For an eternity he fought his way though the dark trees, and the pain that ripped at his chest, looking for home.

Almost like a light at the end of the tunnel, or a hand from a generous passerby, Sonic found himself gazing over a striking picture of a golden land. A flood of great joy and relief washed over the hedgehog when he finally reached his goal after slogging though an ethereal torture.

He walked through the village, it was a dark and haunting copy of the Knothole he remembered, but for all that has happened; it was beautiful.

"Hello? Sally! Anybody?!"

No one answered, the whole village seemed vacant. Sonic looked around, and noticed a strange glow coming from some of the windows.

{Is everyone asleep?}

Sonic looked around, and headed towards his hut.

* * *

He looked around inside, but nothing was where he left it, none of his stuff was here. In his hut was a bureau of clothes, which definitely didn't belong since he didn't wear clothes. Also in the hut was a small kitchenette, including dishes, pots and a hot plate; this was equally out of place since he never cooked. Off in a corner was a handful of farming implements, worn from use, but clean from lack of recent use.

{Who is in my hut?}

The shadow looked over to his hammock and found it occupied. As he walked over, he noticed a strange glow coming from the lump under the sheet, an eerie fiery esper that contrasted the darkness of the room.

Sonic was in front of the stranger in his bed; a female rabbit, only a few years younger than he, wearing a long white nightshirt. As she tumbled a bit in the swinging bed, she was talking in her sleep in a thick southern accent.

"Back off, bitch." Bunnie turned some more. "He's mine."

{What is going on here?}

* * *

Sonic left the bed and found himself outside again. Stumbling around a bit more, Sonic found Sally's hut.

* * *

The person in question was still awake and lying in bed, reading over some surveillance reports collected over the past couple of days.

"Nicole, show me the overlay from the power station in sector 4-9-0-2."

The small computer responded as usual to Sally's instruction. "Processing."

"Sally." Sonic found it odd that Sally didn't notice him when he entered, but he didn't really remember how he got in, he was just in.

"Sally, it's me, Sonic."

The hedgehog tried to run up to Sally; but when he took one foot forward, his chest exploded in pain. Sonic screamed in an inaudible wail and crumpled to the floor. Fighting against the agony, Sonic tried to pick himself from the floor, but was only able to lift his head and get one hand reaching to the bed.

"Sally… It's me…"

Sally paid him no mind, but instead yawned. "Nicole, show me the numbers regarding the power output."

"Sally, my sensors show that you are becoming very tired; you should get some rest."

"I'll get some sleep when I feel like it."

"Under your current condition, you require sleep; I also require recharging, my power level is at 20%"

Sally sighed. "Alright, I get the point."

Sally flipped over the covers and swung her legs over the side. Sonic noticed the pink nightgown that reached to her ankles; but what drew his attention was a bulge at her waist.

Sally seemed to struggle a bit to get out of bed, a result of the excess weight she had, and she held it with her left hand as she approached her bureau. Sally laid Nicole inside a plastic cradle and a small red light on the side lit up. Instead of returning to bed right away, Sally hesitated, then turned to a picture that was stood up next to her bed.

Picking up the picture, she turned it towards her, and Sonic could make it out.

"Sonic, why did this happen? Why did you leave me?"

Sonic struggled to get up from the floor. "Sally, I'm right here."

The princess paid him no mind. "You'll never even get to see our child. It'll be only a few more months now, I can only hope that peace will soon be with us. I don't know if I can do it alone, let alone if Robotnik is still around."

Sally gazed at the image, completely ignorant of the tortured soul of her lost love knelt in front of the door.

"I don't think I ever told you how much you really meant to me. After Robotnik attacked, I had lost so much; more than just my position as princess, I haven't seen my father since that day. When I first met you, you were alone and crying like a baby; you also lost your parents to that monster. I already had experience with loss; my mother died when I was 4, so I knew how to handle it."

Sonic could remember the day he and Sally met.

"I remember sitting on that fallen log and talking with you; I listened, and you bawled. We were talking for hours, and by the end, you had stopped crying. I was glad that you had cheered up. At the time I thought I was just doing my job as princess; little did I know how much it would mean to me. I taught you how to live with the pain; but as we became friends, it was you who taught me how to be happy in spite of it."

Sonic could see the almost vacant look on Sally's face.

"I don't know what it is like on the other side, or if you are at peace, or if you sleep with the doubt of my well being, but I pray that you are waiting for me. I wish I could follow you now, but until our child is born and is ready to embark on this world, I cannot leave. Please be patient, my love."

Sally laid the picture down on the bureau, and slowly got up, burdened by the weight at her core. Sonic also rose to his feet, burdened under the pain that ripped at his core. The princess wasn't quite ready to turn in, tonight was one of those nights that her grief plucked at her heart more than others. It was an eerie thing that she did on those nights; she'd walk out to the woods, to the cemetery, and find the grave where Sonic laid silent. She would sit before it, sometimes for minutes, sometimes until moments before sunrise would wake everyone else; she would sit down and rest her hand on the dirt, like she was laying her hand on her love, not lost, but present, just silent.

Fully standing, Sally made for the door in a slow pace. Sonic was also to his feet, and stretched his arms to meet Sally as she came; but she would come too far. Her body did not stop upon reaching his hands, or his arms, or his body; she walked clean through, not even pausing to feel Sonic's breath, for there was none.

Sonic stood in terror, Sally was behind him, and walking out the door, leaving him behind, again.

"Sally…"

In a mighty shrill of pain, Sonic's heart exploded again, as a bullet meaner than the two that cast him here shredded his soul.

"Sally! Come back!"

* * *

Sonic wanted to chase her, and though he knew not how, but he was once again outside in the middle of the small village.

This time, the village bore an evil, dark glow, there was no sign that anyone was about except for shadows. The village was empty, everyone had left, only Sonic remained in this dead place.

"No! Don't leave me alone! I'm sorry that I failed! Please take me back!"

* * *

Pain…

Sharp stabbing pain…

* * *

From the empty shell of Knothole, Sonic set out into the woods again, he had to find Sally; somehow, he had to see her, and for her to see him.

Each step was as arduous as it was before he found his old home again, a home that had not been his for a long time.

For months the tortured soul wandered, walking in twisted circles that punished his feet as much as the strikes through his chest. Deep down he had a haunting feeling, that he knew where to find Sally, that somehow she was alright; but the trees conspired against him, blocking his path and keeping him stuck in the forest, like it needed the specter so desperately to exist. Each time Sonic felt he knew the way, there was a tree before him; and when he tried to go around, he felt a tug that told him he went in the wrong direction.

For some months more he wandered, lost and alone.

To be continued


	22. Chapter 2: You can't go Home Again

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 2: You can't go Home Again**_

He finally came upon a clearing, a bright opening where the dark trees that once dominated were taught a lesson and beaten back.

Stepping into the field, suddenly it was as if all of the pains that Sonic had endured for the past year simply washed away as the sun shone down on his invisible form. No longer was his fur a putrid gray that was twisted like the trees, but it was clean and the brightest blue it had ever been; his face was clear and his eyes glittered, the only remaining stain on his form where two dark stars painted on his chest, with two others buried in his spikes to match.

Although all appeared well, there was still one nagging aspect of his appearance; his good form was not solid, he could see through himself, it could even be said that he could barely see himself at all. It was all the more evidence that he was no more, that this world no longer knew Sonic the Hedgehog. A desolate thought for the deceased, but surely someone remembered; he could not be totally forgotten.

Sonic looked out onto the plains, which were ridden of virtually all life, but they didn't appear dead. The soil was overturned, and its use was obvious, he was on a farm, and the land was being prepared for planting.

Off in the distance, he could also make out the outline of a city, with one mighty structure standing in the rear. It was almost too good to be true, but Robotropolis was gone, and the old city of Mobotropolis was restored.

Questions flowed through Sonic's head; what was he looking at, was Robotnik finally beaten, and Mobotropolis returned? But it was so fast, how long had he been lost in limbo? Or was he looking at another city; perhaps he was no longer in his normal time or dimension, an alternate reality that knew nothing of Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

Sonic knew there was only one thing that was certain, his answer would be found here. He just needs to find someone.

{If this is a farm, then there must be farmers.}

Sonic didn't have to look far to find some workers in the field, using large machines, leftovers from Robotnik's reign that were co-opted as tractors. They were tilling the rest of the fields and planting seeds in neat rows. Off in a corner, Sonic saw a small group to one side, in the direction of the city. The hedgehog raced over, for the first time in an eternity, he was able to run, something that the curse of the forest had forbidden him.

When he reached the group, he noticed that most of them were very young, and he even recognized a few of them. In the group was a young fox who once tailed Sonic like a kid brother. Amongst them were several other youngsters that were orphaned when Robotnik came, and a few that Sonic didn't recognize; Tails was the oldest of the lot.

They were gathered round another whom he had seen once before.

"Ah'm sorry, but yah can't play here."

It was the rabbit that Sonic caught sleeping in his hut. Not only did she annex his former house, but now she was berating on a bunch of kids. How cruel can you get?

Tails was the one who bore the most courage to talk to the rabbit.

"Aw, but miss Bunnie, there's no where else to play, most of the city is still under construction."

"Ah'm sorry, but there's a lot of work going on here too tah get the farms ready. You want fresh vegetables on your plate, don't yah?"

"If you could grow chocolate, that would be good."

The rabbit grimaced. "That's very sweet, but we'll be stickin' with vegetables for now. in the meantime, I think you should head back to town."

The kids groaned and turned away.

"Hey, Tails."

The kitsune turned back to Bunnie.

"Ah heard that Sally went to the doctor's yesterday, is she alright?"

"Yeah, the doctor said that the baby is due any day now."

{Baby?} Sonic perked right up at hearing at. {Does he mean my baby?}

"Ah better pay a visit sometime. Maybe after Ah get done here today."

Sonic wasn't about to wait for later, the one thing he never did was wait. It's a good thing that he's been dead and wandering around the forest for the last few months, waiting the 9 months to be a father would've killed him.

* * *

Sonic ran to Mobotropolis, and it was just as Tails had pointed out, the whole town was under construction.

The whole place was covered in rubble, the ruins of the old city. Scattered wherever there was a clearing were tents of various shapes and sizes, temporary housing while new homes were being built. The frames of houses were sprouting up everywhere, and in some places there was the odd completed house, flanked by buildings that were receiving the finishing touches and soon to be ready for habitation.

The people were buzzing around like bees, each busy with some task in the reconstruction of their home. The larger ones were responsible for carting around large quantities of stone. They removed ruined blocks from the ground and brought them to be cut down; then returned where they were used to build the strong walls of the new houses. Those with skills were working to build those houses, and everyone else had taken work to feed and care for the workers.

His eye was caught by a figure flying overhead, a bat whom he hadn't seen before. She swooped down into one of the construction areas and delivered something to the foreman. On closer inspection, Sonic could see the handful of Power Rings that would be used to power the machinery that was cutting wood or lifting bricks or mixing cement. She then left for the next area, making another delivery, then another.

The hedgehog had seen enough of this place, and remembered that he wanted to find Sally. In the back of the city was Castle Acorn, he figured that if Sally were anywhere, it would be there.

* * *

Sonic looked up at the large pile of rubble that was once Castle Acorn; in all of Mobotropolis, it was the only thing in total ruin and appeared that it remained standing solely for the purpose of beckoning him. No effort was being made to preserve the structure, it was going to be lost to make way for the rebuilding of the city, and anything of any value had already been stripped and reused.

Sonic was almost saddened by the state of the Castle, unbelieving that it would come to this. Although he didn't think it at the time, it did answer one unasked question; why didn't everyone move into the castle? It was quite obvious as Sonic purveyed the ruins that Sally was not here, no one was here. Sally had to have been in the city, somewhere.

If Sally was to give birth, she might be in a hospital where a doctor could perform his duties, but she could just as easily be home and getting the aide of a midwife, that was how most births happened since Robotnik forced everyone out of Mobotropolis. Sonic doubted that Sally was in a tent, she was a princess, and she was pregnant to boot; surely she'd be the first to take up residence in a house. But searching all the houses would take a while, even for the fastest hedgehog alive, or dead. In one of the rare instances where he actually thought things through—perhaps it was a clarity that could only be gained by the cost of your life—he realized that the only real chance to find Sally was if she was in a hospital or clinic of some sort, and so far there was only one large building in Mobotropolis.

* * *

Sonic found the large building that was being used for pretty much everything at this point; town hall, post office, shopping center, and medical services.

The ghost walked up to the door and tried to open it, only to find that he couldn't hold the door handle. Sonic looked at his hand, wondering how he was going to get in; he almost smacked himself when he realized.

Stepping forward, he walked right through the door.

"If I'm a ghost, I wonder if I can fly too."

Sonic tried hopping into the air, hoping that the eternal force of gravity wouldn't hold him, only to find that gravity seemed to work even in his deceased state.

"Being dead isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Sonic ran up and down the halls when he reached the area of the building that was reserved as a clinic. He poked his head through walls into each of the rooms, seeing a series of empty and occupied rooms, several people were there for minor injuries or sunstroke, but there was no sign of Sally.

"Aahhh!"

The scream echoed through his ears, like it originated from his own head; the voice was instantly familiar.

"Sally."

The call seemed to come from above him. Frustrated that he couldn't fly up, Sonic ran for the stairs and checked the above floor. Once there, he started checking the rooms in the new floor, but another scream directed him one more floor up.

Now two stories up from the ground, the screams were getting louder. Like a beacon, Sonic was drawn to it until he came to a room with a guard, none other than the royal pain in the ass, Geoffrey St. John.

"Hey G, you look like someone's tearing your heart out."

The skunk didn't respond to the phantom's taunts, he stood there, anguishing over the events that were now transpiring. Another cry from Sally was just another depressing reminder of hers and Sonic's relationship.

"Sorry to spook and run, but I've got to be somewhere. Haunt ya later."

Sonic disappeared into the wall and came out inside the room. Before him in a hospital bed was Sally, half sitting in the bed with her legs spread open under the sheet. Two others were in the room with her; the doctor was in a position that was totally inappropriate for anyone save a medical professional, or a lover. The other was in the same surgical garb that the doctor was and holding Sally's left hand. Sonic wondered who it was, a nurse? A friend? A new boyfriend? Could that be why Geoffrey was in a bad mood, Sally giving birth to the child of her old boyfriend, and now with someone else?

The other spoke, in a very non-masculine voice. "C'mon miss Sally, push."

{A girl? Well, she's not her boyfriend, that's for sure.}

The doctor was calling over the sheet.

"Push, your highness; you're almost there."

Sally yelled as she felt the baby pushing through the opening.

Sonic wanted to be a part of it, but his current state forbade him from being anything other than a spectator. Wanting a closer look, Sonic poked his head right through Dr. Quack's torso, then quickly pulled it back. He had no idea if ghosts could vomit, but he was about to find out.

Sonic wandered to Sally's side opposite the girl and continued to watch.

"You're almost there, your highness."

"Uunnnnghh!"

Sonic could almost feel every push that Sally made, and even the torture she was going through; it didn't quite compare to the torment he felt from being lost in the forest, but it was close.

"C'mon Sal, just a bit more."

Like he was trying to be a good husband, Sonic laid his ghostly hand on Sally's.

"Aaaahh!"

A second later and a few brief coughs were heard from the doctor's position, followed by a broken cry.

Sally fell back onto the pillows that were stacked behind her.

"Your highness, there's someone here who wants to meet you."

The doctor came around the side that Sonic was on, who instinctively moved out of the way of the doctor, even though it was totally unnecessary.

"Congratulations, it's a boy."

When the doctor moved back, Sonic was able to get a clear look; lying before him was his love, covered in sweat and panting like she ran a marathon, now with her arms wrapped around another, their newborn son. A small white cloth was wrapped around his small body, only leaving the head visible. A small face, contorted a bit by the crying of its owner; but in his mother's arms he calmed down and soon bore an infantile frown, not knowing exactly what emotion to exhibit. The little head was definitely familiar; it was very much like his father's at that very youthful age, covered in a thin layer of blue fur, not yet forming the sharp hard spikes that covered Sonic's head and back.

"He's beautiful, miss Sally."

Sonic glanced up to the woman that was attending Sally to see that she had removed the mask and paper cap, revealing that she was a pink hedgehog, whom Sonic had never seen before.

"Thank you, Amy." Sally gazed in the small face. "He looks so much like Sonic."

She kissed him on the forehead.

Sonic was so mesmerized by the scene before him that he didn't even hear the door creaking open behind him, or the footsteps of the guard as he entered. He only noticed Geoffrey when he took Sonic's position at the side of Sally's bed. Not wanting to share the same space as the uptight skunk, Sonic moved up to the head of the bed.

Sally also barely noticed Geoffrey's stealthy entrance, meant more out of respect than to be stalking about. When he reached the bed, Sally looked up. "Isn't he beautiful?"

The skunk looked down at the little tyke in his queen's arms. The squinty face was very familiar, it looked just like Sonic, just a lot younger.

* * *

He remembered the first time he ever saw the blue blur; it was about two years before Robotnik came, and Sonic's hyper speed ability was starting to develop, as was his attitude. At the time, he was still a kid in grade school, but was becoming a bit of a celebrity for his speed, and a few wins in various track and field events. It was a strange anomaly, but it was brief.

Geoffrey would not see Sonic again for a few years. It was after Robotnik invaded, and forced everyone to flee Mobotropolis. It was in another encampment, much smaller than Knothole called Marshhaven, where some of the refugees had gathered. This was where Geoffrey had taken Sally, and had remained hidden for more than a year. One day, he heard crying out in the small village and went to investigate; a few people were out consoling a small child who had wandered into camp that morning. When he got there, he instantly recognized the telltale blue spines of the young hedgehog.

"What's going on?"

One of the people who had gathered answered. "He came in here this morning, says he's looking for his parents. Robotnik attacked the camp where they were and he escaped, but he hasn't seen his folks since."

Geoffrey pushed through to the little one and knelt down. "Hi there. Your name's Sonic, right?"

The boy stopped crying just long enough to answer. "Yes."

Geoffrey motioned to people to be on their way, and that he would take care of this. He was basically raising Sally by himself and thought he was doing a pretty good job, but Sally was a princess and was taught how to behave. "How long have you been on your own?"

"It's been…" Sonic sniffed back a tear. "…about two months now."

Sonic's haggard state would back that claim.

"That's a long time to be on your own."

Sonic didn't know how to answer that and simply cried a bit.

"Have you been alone all this time?"

"Yeah."

"Listen here, crying isn't going to help you find your parents; there are times for crying, and there are times for bucking up and lifting your chin."

Sonic looked up at the skunk, not knowing what he was talking about.

"We'll get you cleaned up, and get you a decent meal; then we can talk a bit more, O.K.?"

"O.K." Sonic had some supplies with him when he ran away, but only enough for a few days; for several weeks he'd been eating berries and the like, a good meal sounded real good to him. And sleeping on the ground had left him really dirty; he normally didn't like baths, but he really wanted to be clean again.

* * *

"He looks like a very fine lad, Queen Sally."

Geoffrey was struggling within to embrace the newcomer. For the longest time, he'd regretted that bit of charity that he showed Sonic. Soon after, Sonic and Sally first met; both of whom were without their parents, and they hit it off immediately. Sally felt sorry for the little blue boy, and Sonic liked having someone he could talk to that understood what he was going through. They were friends at first, and that didn't bother Geoffrey at the time; but they were starting to get too close, too familiar, and that was setting off alarm bells left, right and center.

All that was to be put behind him. Sonic had been dead for almost 8 months now, and like it or not, his son was now the prince of Mobotropolis, and Queen Sally was his mother. Even though Geoffrey had "accepted" the events that had happened, deep down, a part of him still didn't like them very much.

"Oh, isn't he a darling!" 

Geoffrey was being pushed back, and Sonic's ghost backed up even further to make room, which he really didn't need to. Now standing at the side of Sally's bed was the bat that Sonic had seen flying about. Geoffrey was not pleased with the sudden and unintroduced intruder.

"Do you always barge into other people's hospital rooms?"

"Who put the starch in your underwear this morning?" Rouge didn't pay any more attention to Geoffrey, and how stupid the question was as he wore no clothes since it was Sally she came to see.

Sonic was rather intrigued by the bat. She was energetic, but she wasn't some childish ditz; she was more extravagant, like some eccentric rich heiress who was a borderline nutcase, or that weird aunt everybody has.

"Do you have a name for him?"

"Yes, I have: 'Comet'."

"Comet? Comet the Hedgehog; it has a nice ring to it."

Once again, Geoffrey's less than total interest in the offspring of his old rival was easily disrupted by the appearance of the bat. "When did you get here?"

"Just now, I just had to be one of the first to see the new baby with my own eyes."

Rouge leaned over to get a better look.

"Who's the cute widdle baby. Yes you the cute widdle baby. Aren't you the cutie, aren't you the cutie…"

Amy was finding the sickening display from the otherwise lusty Rouge to not sit well in her stomach. "What were you doing, waiting out in the hall with Geoffrey?"

"Not exactly." Rouge reached down under the metal frame of the bed and pulled something off with a moderate tug. She displayed the small plastic device to everyone.

"You bugged the Queen's hospital room?!" Geoffrey was naturally annoyed that someone had been spying on his liege, especially in such a place as a hospital.

"Oh please, I don't spy; I was just monitoring her condition."

"Like you were _monitoring_ us when you worked for Robotnik?"

That statement sparked Sonic's interest; he definitely wanted to know a bit more about the relationship between Rouge and Robotnik, but his current state allowed him no opportunity to question.

"Oh please, that was a long time ago. Besides, I have to watch out for my 'investment'. Don't forget that my payment for services rendered has only been deferred in favor of the reconstruction of Mobotropolis; I will still collect what's mine."

Amy didn't like the arguing that was going on, especially in front of Sally and Comet. "Do you mind? This is hardly the place for such talk."

Both Geoffrey and Rouge immediately stopped and regretted the outburst.

"Sorry, your highness."

"Sorry, miss Sally."

Sally looked over to the bat. "Hey Rouge, have you considered having a family?"

"That would put a real crimp in my style; though if I do say so myself, I'd make a pretty good mother."

Geoffrey found the statement totally laughable. "You have got to be kidding me."

"I know I'm a bit of a wild one, but I am a very caring and compassionate person, just like my mom, and she did a pretty good job under the circumstances."

Amy was getting a giggle over thinking about Rouge with a baby. "I'd like to know how old 'fire-and-brimstone' would make out as a daddy."

"He'd probably be better than you think, he's not nearly as menacing as you give him credit for."

Geoffrey furled his brow. "Is this the same guy who ate four giant hoagies at last week's fair, and let out a belch that flattened every cake with half a mile?"

"I said 'menacing', I didn't say anything about crude."

Dr. Quack had been listening intently while filling out Comet's birth certificate. "Excuse me, but you've been raising your voices a bit much, and miss Sally needs some rest. So would you please take this outside."

Again, both Geoffrey and Rouge apologized for their unruly behavior.

"We'll leave you two alone." Amy got one last look at Sally and her baby before leaving, followed by the other two who also gave one last look and goodbye before leaving.

The doctor checked Comet a little more, and then Sally. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing alright."

"You both seem to be doing fine, so I'll leave you two alone for a while and be back with a crib for the little guy. If you'll excuse me, I've got some other patients to attend to."

The doctor left, leaving Sally alone with her new son; completely unaware that there was a third presence in the room with them.

Sonic stood at the side of bed where Sally was gently cradling their son. His heart was filled with both joy and sorrow; thankful that the woman he loved was safe with their newborn baby, but despondent that he would not be a part of their lives anymore.

"Sally, I'm sorry that I left you…" Sonic was having trouble coming up with the words that Sally couldn't hear anyway.

"I don't know what's happening to me, or what will happen; but all this time I was thinking of you, what was going to happen to you. I know that Robotnik's gone and you're alright, but it isn't enough. I want to be here with you, to look after you and our son, but I can't do that, not like this; I feel so useless." Sonic looked at his ghostly hands that were barely visible, even to him. "I can't be your husband, I can't be a father, I can't do anything."

Sally was rocking Comet slowly, completely unaware of their spiritual visitor. "You're a fine young boy, and you're going to grow up to be a great man, I just know it. You're going to grow up not knowing your father, and I would do anything to have him back; but I can tell you that he was a kind and caring person, and he would have been a wonderful father. There will be many people in your life who will love you, and who would care for you like you were their own, but there is no one that could replace your father. You should know that he fought diligently for everyone, and for our future; and that he died to create a world where you would be safe."

Sally sighed. "Comet, I want to make a confession; there were days where I hated your father for leaving me, for not being here now. Promise me one thing, that you will never, ever hate your father."

The queen looked up to the ceiling, like she could see all the way to the sky and to space beyond. "Sonic…"

The deceased soul locked his attention to his fiancée in life.

"Please, look out for our son; guard him as if you were with us now."

Sonic had no more to say, and neither did Sally. The ghost reached up, and put his left hand to Sally's hair, but he could feel nothing, it merely passed through the small narrow strands without budging a single one. Disappointed, he reached out with his right. If there were any justice or charity in this world or the next, it would allow him one last wish. With his outstretched hand, he grazed the short blue hair of his son; but again, he could feel nothing.

The little boy couldn't feel the touch of his father, but just glancing his head was a strange cold feeling, one that he did not like at all. After struggling with his new arms in his mother's, he let out a wail; it brought Sally to full attention, and it also caught Sonic off guard. That wail, from those little lips, resonated in Sonic like it was coming from his heart and his mind.

Sonic dropped to the floor, the wailing was intense and tore through his ears like his head was stuffed in his son's mouth, and the screams echoed back on themselves a thousand fold.

Sally gently shushed the little one. "What's wrong, Comet?" She rocked him gently, trying to calm him down.

Sonic lynched in pain on the floor. The cry was driving him mad; even though Comet was calming down, his voice was still tearing at his father's mind. Unable to tolerate the whine, Sonic crawled to the door, when he reached it, he fell over, ending up on the other side.

{What happened, why did he cry like that? Was it me? What am I now, a curse; does my touch cause him pain? Why does his crying hurt me so much? How can I be near him if he hurts me so much?}

With much on his mind from the recent defeat, Sonic wandered out of the hospital.

* * *

Sonic was again in the streets of Mobotropolis, and the land was still covered in a patchwork of incomplete houses and tents as far as cold be seen.

Sonic wandered around, but the place was no longer what he remembered; everything was dark and foreboding. The spindly skeletons of the construction seemed to stretch in directions that defied time and space; no longer made of wood, they were just long lines of an inky black. The tents weren't the rugged fabric that Sonic remembered on his way in, but mountains of obsidian with jagged cutting edges and fiery portals of light for windows. Behind him was the only thing that differentiated himself from the environment, a tall jagged spire; a million sharp points cut into the red sky.

As the disembodied soul stepped through the mutated town, he could see shadows, faint whispers of light passing around him and darting through the warped structures. He could hear them, the voices, the sounds of people in the town, but they were not normal. He tried to listen to them, but they were all as warped as the city, twisted and strained, undecipherable. Like the squeal from his son before, the echoes of the populous started to reverberate in Sonic's head, creating endless noise.

The hedgehog fell to his knees, clamping his hands over his head, trying to drown out the sounds around him. It was no good, it was as if his ghostly hands were unable to block the noise that his ghostly ears were all too in tune with.

Feeling no end to the torment, Sonic got up and started to run.

As he raced between the tents and wooden frames, he found nothing but more tents, and more wooden frames, more of the same in every direction. The looming castle was still in sight, but instead of being behind him, it was now to his left; like it was stalking the small one, able to move more swiftly and ready to pounce. Everything around him was strange, and all the spirits swirled about him paying him little attention. He tried running more, trying to stay in a constant direction, hoping that he would find some limit to the madness, but there was always more… more darkness… more voices…

Sonic needed to get out of the city, for it was much worse than the blasted forest. That was an accursed place, but it was quiet; filled with that haunting absent quiet, but it would not hurt his ears or his mind. He tried to run again, but still he was getting nowhere as fast as he was getting anywhere.

The horrid voices soon overpowered him, and Sonic collapsed to the ground; his ears were ringing loud but not clear, just random static of thousands of haunting voices. The pain was threatening to tear his mind apart, it was excruciating. Lost in torment, Sonic fought back the only way he could.

"Yeeeeeeaaarrrrrggghh!!!"

The blood curdling scream couldn't be heard by anyone except the spirit that gave rise to it. After exhausting his vaporous lungs, the blue one collapsed to the ground; when he rose his head, he could no longer see the torqued paths of the city, but now only saw the thickness of the woods, the quiet woods, the peaceful woods. Mobotropolis wanted him no more, his home was the forest, the evil, dark, quiet forest.

To be continued


	23. Chapter 3: And in the End… Darkness

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 3: And in the End… Darkness**_

For what seemed to take years more, Sonic eventually found himself back in Knothole. The village was an empty shell where no one lived, save for echoes and memories.

Like a haunting magnet was drawing him, he wandered into the woods behind the supply hut, and found himself in a clearing. There the ground was almost totally black; strips of brown interwoven between large empty spaces that disappeared deep into blackness. Sonic feared stepping near any of them, for fear of falling into perpetual nothingness; but still, it was here that he was drawn.

Walking down a lane of brown dirt, Sonic found that each hole was marked by a stone monument, usually no more than a slab with markings etched into them. Sonic tried to read them, but was unable to distinguish the warped characters that seemed to dance over the rock.

The hedgehog continued down the row, slowly skulking between the large holes and the stone monoliths, until he came to one unique plot. The ground was solid, with no vacuum into darkness, and the stone was cut into a deliberate shape, the only one that seemed to hold a solid form before his eyes.

The letters on the rock were not clear, but when he took his time, the words slowly formed for him.

_Here lies Sonic the Hedgehog_

_At one time our greatest hope in the face of darkness,  
but he fell in battle against our oppressor.  
In his sacrifice, he saved one soul,  
and we all thank him.  
Our hero._

{Hero, some hero I am.}

Sonic looked at his lone grave, the lonely plot, a small hill of dirt that held in it the rotting flesh of what was once his solid form.

Looking around, he saw the black pits, the aura of death. Everyone he saw had a slight glow about them, but here, everything was shrouded in a void. Was it now his time; was he to go forth to leave nothing more than a black stain in the afterworld?

Part of him wanted to go back to Mobotropolis, to see Sally again, only to face the torment of never being able to feel her again, for her to not even see him, or for their son to never know him.

Was this then, his final stand?

* * *

"Hello."

Sonic didn't pay attention to the call at first.

"Hello?"

Sonic turned around to see there was only one other in the whole cemetery. Standing just before him was a woman, not at all old, but certainly all the youngest years were behind her. She seemed rather small, except for her stomach that showed signs of life beyond her own.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Of course I am, there's no one else here."

"You can see me?"

"I wouldn't say 'see' is the right word, but I can sense you. It is a sacred power that I was given called 'Forbidden Sight', it allows me to 'see' things that no one else can."

"So you're not scared of me then?"

"Why should I be scared of Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Sonic was quite startled that the woman knew him when he had never seen her before. "You know who I am?"

"Of course; you're a ghost hanging around a cemetery, whose tombstone would you likely hang around."

Sonic looked back to see the tombstone that clearly bore his name.

"Very nice, and you are?"

"I am Tikal, and I know of your story. You were killed over a year ago by some of Robotnik's robots that you stumbled on in the forest."

"Not bad."

"Not really, everyone knows that."

"I bet it's a real big joke. The great hero, gunned down in an accidental meeting with a bunch of rust buckets."

"No one says that. They all remember you quite fondly."

Sonic turned away from Tikal. "Yeah right, they couldn't care less about me."

"It's unfair to think that they would continue to lament for you to this day; that would destroy them, as it almost did Sally."

Sonic turned back very quickly. "Sally? What happened to her?"

"Her despair over losing you was slowly tearing her apart; if it were not for the birth of your son, Comet, she would have fallen to her doom."

"Comet" In the months he had been lost in the forest, Sonic had almost forgotten the name chosen by Sally. "When I saw him, he cried; then something went wrong. Mobotropolis turned into a nightmare, it was dark, and everyone had turned into weird specters; I couldn't stand it… I was scared."

"I do not know exactly what you have experienced, but I am guessing that what you saw was your despair. You are dead and cannot be a father to your son; you feel like you betrayed him, and that is why you could not stay in Mobotropolis." Tikal looked at Sonic, and could easily see that her words did ring with the hedgehog. "I'm sure you would have made a good father to him."

"Maybe, but I'm not going to get to be his father. Playing with him, watching him grow up; Hell, I'd even want to change his diapers, but don't tell anyone I said that."

Tikal grinned.

"What kind of father can I be now? Why am I even here? Shouldn't I be dead and in the ground?!"

"Most ghosts wander because they can't accept that they are dead, or because they have work left undone. But that's not the case with you, your work is done, you just don't understand why."

"But what did I do? Robotnik was defeated, but I died, long before that."

"It's written right there. In your death, you saved one soul."

"But what good is that?"

"It meant everything. Come, I'll show you the link that you are missing."

Tikal started to walk away.

"Please stay close. Non-corporeal beings tend to have loose ties with reality and get lost in the sea of time."

Sonic recalled the way he seemed to slip out for months into phases of sheer pain and horror before finding his way back to reality. Not wanting a repeat, he stayed very close.

* * *

The trip back to Mobotropolis was much better than his last few voyages, since it didn't cast him into a tortuous void for countless weeks at a time. This time he had a companion, a glowing figure that repulsed the darkness, and shone the way home.

The city was evolving nicely compared to his last visit; houses covered large parts of the city, trees were planted around carefully paved roads, and in the backdrop a new palace was under construction. Although the new royal home was only a partial frame of steel and stone and wood at this point, it was obvious that it would not be a grand castle like the one Sonic remembered, and whose ruins still partially remained. This time it would be more like a chateau, like some extra large ski resort he'd visited one winter.

Once inside the city, Tikal led the deceased to a park.

"Where are we going?"

"To find what you lost, over there."

Sonic looked to where Tikal was pointing and saw several people crowded around a chain link fence.

"What's going on?"

"I believe it is called a basketball game. Let's not get too close, or else someone might think I've gone totally mad talking to empty air."

Tikal sat on a bench in a small field just away from the court. With Tikal being the only one who could see him, Sonic sat down next to her, only to fall through the wooden seat; the echidna didn't pay him much attention.

"My husband is…" Tikal giggled at the comment. "Sorry, I'm still not quite used to that word. My husband Knuckles, is the red echidna in the cage. I believe his opponent is a friend of yours."

Sonic looked towards the court and saw Knuckles playing cover over one of the other players. Also on the field were a cheetah and a wolf, playing the same man-to-man that Knuckles was doing with the other; that other was starting to get very aggressive, trying hard to break free of the red one's guard.

Sonic moved closer to get a better look; mesmerized, almost captured by the image before him, like he knew that all his answers where right there. In a flash that shot before his eyes, it all came out; with one great push, Knuckles was thrust back by his adversary. For a brief second Sonic saw him, the nightmarish black fur, the sinister grin, and the vicious red eyes.

"Back off Red, I'll go through you if I have to."

"Tough talk, insect eating freak."

"Now I'll show you why I am the 'Master'."

If he was using his powers, Shadow could've easily outrun him, but all special powers were declared out of bounds. Needing skill over brute speed, Shadow made a break to his left, and Knuckles matched; but Shadow didn't take the ball with him, instead he let it bounce in it's old place. While making his escape, Shadow swung his right arm back to elbow the ball towards the cheetah that was moving into place. The cat snatched the ball and sprinted to the net, with a leap, he raised the ball and relayed it off the backboard and into the net.

To the side of the court, a small metal creature leapt up.

"Shadow 17 - Knuckles 16."

"Hey, ref!" Knuckles stormed over to Omochao. "Was that legal?"

"Of course it is, straight out of the Globetrotters play book too."

"Come on, elbowing the ball?"

"Listen here numb nuts; I'm the ref here, so what I say goes. Now take the frickin' ball."

Omochao hurled the orange sphere with such force it almost knocked Knuckles off the court.

"What in Mobius have you been teaching him?"

Shadow was taken aback, then acted all innocent. "Me? You're kidding, he teaches me crap."

Off the court, Sonic returned to Tikal. "What's he doing here?!"

"He lives here."

"That menace lives here?! What turned him into 'Mr. Nice Guy'?" 

"I would hardly call him nice."

Sonic was looking at the crowd that was gathered to watch the match, most seemed to be there just for the game; but some of them stuck out, showing some favoritism for certain players. In the middle of the group, Sonic saw the telltale tails of his young friend. The young kitsune clearly had a favorite in the battle.

"C'mon Shadow, get him!"

"Tails? He's rooting for that jerk?!"

Sonic looked over more of the crowd, and found two more who were also boosting the black hedgehog.

One was the female rabbit whom he first saw in his hut, hopping about, chanting in a very thick accent. "Get him, Shadow; show him who's boss!"

The other was another woman, the bat who paid Sally a visit when their son was born. "You'd better win, or I wouldn't be caught dead out with you in public again."

Sonic stepped back towards Tikal, but didn't go all the way to her. "Tails? I can't believe he's rooting for that guy. And those two girls, he's got a nice little fan club there; either of them his girlfriend?"

"Actually, both of them."

Sonic almost died, again. "You must be joking! I'm dead, and he's got _two_ girlfriends?!"

"It's some kind of bet they have going: whoever gets pregnant first, gets him."

"What kind of sick twisted world is this?!"

"This is the world you left behind, and there is a very good reason why people like Shadow."

"And that is?"

"He defeated Dr. Robotnik."

"He what?"

"I believe that statement was quite clear. He defeated Robotnik, very simple and straight."

"So he's the big hero now, and I get nothing."

"That's not true, everyone remembers you, all that you see here is your doing."

"What did I do? All I did was get killed."

Sonic was pouting and pacing around in circles before going to sit down on the park bench, only to fall through it again.

"If you're going to stay as a ghost, you really have to learn how to use chairs."

Sonic got up through the wooden furniture and tried to position himself in place on the seat; this time, he tried to hover in place, even though his previous attempt at flight proved naught. This time, he tried to imagine that he wouldn't slip through the wooden planks again, and managed to sit in the chair properly.

"I'm going to haunt you."

"Oh grow up, being dead is no excuse for acting like an immature brat."

"Don't tell me how to act, you're not dead."

"I suppose not, but I get really frustrated by whiney ghosts."

Sonic just sat there, watching the game.

"You said this was my doing."

"That's right, everything you see here was the result of your life and consequent death."

Tikal turned away from Sonic, not looking in any particular direction; she started to dictate.

"A long time ago, there was a small boy who went on a journey to stop a great evil. To you it would probably be no more than a fading dream, but do you recall a demon named Void?"

"Void?"

"A dark creature in a distant land, a land bordering on the realm of dreams. Years before Ivo Robotnik brought his evil to this place, Void tried to conquer Maginaryworld; so a messenger came to retrieve a hero. She found a young boy who was pure and innocent, someone destined for greatness."

Sonic tried to remember, but it was so many years ago.

"That young boy helped restore the Preciousstone, a magical gem that preserved the beauty of Maginaryworld that Void had destroyed; being pure of heart, the Void's darkness could not infringe on him."

"Void was beaten, and for more than a decade has lamented his defeat. He then came up with a dubious plan: a copy of the one who dared to challenge him, warped to the void, and fused with a seed of hatred. He was to come and destroy you, to humiliate you, to make your life a living Hell; he was a dark and twisted double of you, a shadow of the worst kind."

"He came to challenge you, and after you managed to deflect his first try, he wanted to defeat you even more; he never had a chance."

Sonic was stooped down in the chair, looking up at the black hedgehog in the cage. "I know this part."

"But when he found you, dead, he totally snapped; in an instant, he became far fiercer than Void could have imagined. It was not what Void had planned; Shadow was not engulfed in hate, but an emptiness. He was left directionless, filled with a despair that was as deep as yours."

Tikal stopped talking out into the open and turned to Sonic. "You see; when you died, the seed of hate died too. Soon, he found a new purpose, a new reason for life. Slowly he grew, slowly he became a good person, and slowly he became a hero."

"Because of your life, he exists; and because of your death, he was freed of his hatred. The people of Mobotropolis owe him everything they now have, and he owes you everything that he now is."

Sonic didn't respond; it was still a lot to take in, but the pain was starting to subside as he finally understood what fate had dealt his friends after his demise.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A bit."

"Supernatural entities tend to have a direct link between emotional pain and physical pain."

"That explains a lot." Sonic paused, still contemplating everything that happened. "Tikal, I've seen Sally twice, and my son; can you tell them that I miss them."

"I can't do that; if I did, they'd think I was insane. They know how much you miss them; I've seen how much Sally misses you, so she knows. But if you really want to, you can tell her yourself."

"How?"

"I don't know, I'm not a ghost; try putting a sheet over your head and saying 'boo'."

Sonic still wanted to tell Sally how he felt, but even without the message, Sonic was feeling at ease.

"YEEEAAAARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!!!"

Sonic and Tikal looked towards the court. Screaming at the top of his lungs, Shadow was hanging off the hoop after scoring a big slam-dunk.

"Shadow 21 - Knuckles 19. Game!"

"Up yours, Red!"

Shadow strutted over to the cheetah and slapped him a high five. Sonic and Tikal made their way over to the cage while the combatants emerged in victory or defeat.

Shadow was dribbling the basketball. "Hey Knuckles, same time tomorrow? You know how I just love handing your ass to you on a silver platter."

"I'm busy tomorrow, but this weekend I'll give you a pounding you won't soon forget."

Shadow saw Tikal coming up the way. "Hey Tikal, you must be totally ashamed to be married to this loser."

Tikal didn't feel the shame that Shadow was implying, but Knuckles didn't like the rubbing in that Shadow was giving.

"Someone who flaunts two girls while showing no proper allegiance to either is truly shameful."

"This coming from someone who lived in a place where they didn't have marriage or monogamy. I think you're just jealous, or perhaps you miss the good old days. I bet you can just feel your manliness slipping away."

Knuckles wrapped his right arm around Tikal and patted her stomach with his left. "Oh yeah, if you're such a man, then how come you're firing blanks?"

"Oh, such a big boy, eh?" Shadow started to wave his free hand at Knuckles and Tikal. "I hereby curse you so that all your children will be girls. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha."

"Knock it off."

Knuckles swiped at Shadow; the hedgehog easily dodged, but dropped the ball. The small sun-like object bounced on the cement walkway and rolled to the end of the fence; it came to a stop just behind Sonic. The phantom reached down, but was unable to interact with it.

Shadow smirked at Knuckles' outrage. "Oh, that was mature."

Everyone knew how Shadow and Knuckles' arguments had a tendency of escalating to potentially violent levels, especially Tikal.

"Come on hun, let's head home." Tikal switched to a slightly more sultry tone, or at least however sultry she could sound. "I've been on my feet all day, and a massage would be real nice."

Shadow, Rouge, Bunnie, Omochao and Tails watched as Tikal escorted Knuckles away.

Tails noticed the big smile on the echidna's face. "Knuckles sure seems to like giving Tikal a massage, doesn't he?"

Shadow chuckled. "It can be a lot of fun, kid."

"How much fun?"

Shadow didn't want to answer. "Ask Omochao."

Rouge smacked him over the head. "Don't send him to that metal weirdo for info. Tails, when Tikal said she wanted a massage, she was talking about romantic, mushy stuff."

"Ew."

"There, problem solved."

Omochao blew his referee whistle. "When you are finished with your toys, you are supposed to put them away; that's a foul."

Everyone looked at the rogue ball.

Tails was about to fly over. "I'll get it."

Shadow looked at the ball, then abruptly stopped the fox. "Hold it kid, I got it."

Shadow raced over to the ball. Sonic stood there, looking close up at the black one as his hands rapped on the ball to get it bouncing. After getting one good jump, he grabbed it. The black one was about to walk away, when he stopped.

"One day…"

Shadow turned his head, not enough for Sonic to see all of his face, but enough to see a sliver of the glare in his ruby red eye.

"In this world or the next…"

Shadow smirked.

"We're gonna have that rematch."

Shadow spun away, then tossed the ball in a high arc over the fence towards the bin in the corner; it made one bounce on the pavement, then right into the bin with the other balls.

The black hedgehog headed away, then wrapped an arm around each waist of Rouge and Bunnie as they trotted away.

Sonic was alone again.

"I'll be waiting."

END

Omochao: "I hope you enjoyed this act, in the next act we'll going in a whole other direction with a brand new adventure. And check this out, this is cool."

Omochao: "BOOO!!!!"

Ghost of Sonic: "EEEEEKK!"

Omochao: "I can scare ghosts, isn't that cool?"

Shadow: "Heh, heh. Sonic squeals like a little girl."


	24. ACT IX: BLACK AND RED

**Act IX: Black and Red**

**A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by Black Mantle**

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

Shadow has faced time travel, problems of the heart, and ghosts; now he faces a new threat from a far away land.


	25. Chapter 1: A Journey Ends

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 1: A Journey Ends**_

It was a long journey, several days spent on a long twisting path; but it was a journey that was barely half over, for the traveler would have to go back the way he came.

He stepped out of his vehicle, almost like a tank; it was about as comfortable as it looked, meant more for travel in rugged mountain terrain as opposed to a nice joyride in the country. Before him was a long stretch of open land, most of it was cultivated for agriculture, while some spots were taken up by manufacturing. At the center, back dropped by the sea was a city. It would be impossible to make out the small houses, but there were a few large buildings that could be made out, including a very large structure in the center.

"It has been so long, and the city had changed so much; but at least it's here."

The traveler returned to his vehicle and started up the engine with a troubled whine. Soon it turned over, and the large stubby wheels turned again.

* * *

A few minutes later, the truck had reached the boundary of the city and came to a halt. Although the roads were big enough for vehicles, everyone was walking; and most people stopped to see the strange moving box that came down the street, trying to find a path that lead towards the grand building at the center.

Eventually, it was flagged down by some of the guards.

"Can I help you, sir?"

The driver opened the window.

"I have come looking for help. I am from the Hoines Mountains, and we have a problem. Would you please take me to see King Acorn."

The guard was a little flustered by the request for their king who had been missing since Robotnik came, but he agreed to help. The guard got into the passenger seat, and directed the truck to the palace.

* * *

The new palace was a grand design that stood four stories in front, while the back of the building extended another floor up. The foundation of the building and the base of the steel fence that surrounded it were made from large blocks of stone, taken from the old castle that once stood a few hundred meters behind the new one.

The walls of the new palace were covered in panels of wood that were varnished to a delicious reddish brown; the windows had a golden tint to them, and were lined with a thin line of stone that steeped about an inch away from the wall. The roof was a simple sloping roof with black shingles. The main entrance came a good twenty feet from the front door; a large stairway of marble lined on both sides by columns that supported a roof of their own, led to an immense door of wood that was stained to match the walls. It too was lined by stones, but these were much thicker than the ones that lined the windows.

Upon arrival, the truck was met by another guard who accompanied the head of Internal Security, Geoffrey St. John.

The skunk approached the driver of the truck as he got out. "Welcome to Mobotropolis, I was told you came here on urgent business."

The driver was a large black bear; his size would easily intimidate most people, but Geoffrey was not the type who was easy to intimidate. "My name is Yohan, and I am from the Hoines Mountains. Our villages are under siege and I have come to seek help from King Max."

"I see. However we have recently emerged from a long war ourselves, and sadly our former ruler King Max Acorn hasn't been seen for a decade. Our kingdom is now ruled by his daughter, Queen Sally Alicia Acorn."

"I am very sorry to hear of this bad news, but I am well aware of the invasion of Dr. Robotnik, and that you overthrew him a few years ago. I came looking for help, and hoped that you would have the best chance for our salvation."

"Then I shall arrange a meeting with Queen Sally."

* * *

Inside the large palace on the second floor was Sally's office; it was very large and divided into a few distinct areas. The back of the room had a large, ornate oak desk, which dominated its part of the room. At the front on either side of the immense double doors were two other areas; one had a small bar with several kinds of refreshments when any political visitors would come over, and the other was a seating area with a large glass table and several comfortable chairs and sofas around it.

In the empty corner next to the desk and the seating area was a closet which held a cache of toys and baby supplies; Sally wanted to keep little Comet as close as possible, and usually had Amy play with the wee one while she worked. The corner next to the bar had a matching closet, but was rarely used.

At the desk, Sally sat, going over a stack of reports with one of her advisors, an uptight coyote with a thick French accent and an equally uptight French name to boot. In the prearranged corner, Amy was having a tea party with the young prince. Antoine was always a little unnerved that this place of business was also part nursery, but Sally's rule was very straight forward: live with it or resign.

Sally and Antoine were going over the national budget; for the last year Mobotropolis' development was paid for by the royal treasury, but the reclaimed wealth could only go so far. Some of Antoine's predictions put a 5-7 year limit on the money store, but various development projects like the farms and some small industry were making Mobotropolis more self-reliant. However, there were some large projects on the table that threatened to cut the supply short.

"Zee port project is very important; trade commerce can be very lucrative, and we have a good position on zee Cartuban Sea."

"How are preparations proceeding for receiving Minister Erre?"

"Very well, Madame. Zee Prime Minister should find his accommodations quite, eh… accommodating."

"Very good, and what about President Leo?"

"Everything will be set for your trip to Baltesaria next month."

"Good, hopefully we can arrange the details for the highway to connect our cities, that'll be a big help."

Sally shuffled through the papers at her desk. "This does seem like a bit of a gamble though, a full-size port, that'll cost a lot."

"But it would be of great benefit."

Sally looked over in the corner at Amy and Comet. "Do you realize that one of these days, you'll be making these decisions?"

Antoine was going to attempt to get Sally's attention back, when a knock came at the door. At the doors, Geoffrey opened and walked in.

"Queen Sally, there is someone here from the Hoines Mountains. He says that it is very urgent."

"The Hoines Mountains?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Antoine, we'll get to this later. Send him in, Geoffrey."

"Yes, your highness."

"By your leave, Madame."

Geoffrey went back to the door while Antoine collected the budget in a briefcase. Sally got up, intent on meeting the one who saved her from more concern over the finances, at least for a little bit.

Geoffrey reentered, bringing the bear with him. "This is Yohan Sancot, the chief of Lalberdean."

"Queen Sally, I'm am humbled that you would meet me on such short notice."

"You're welcome, but Geoffrey said that this was an emergency."

"Yes, it is very important. Our people are in dire straits over…"

"Would you like to sit down and tell me about it?"

"Oh yes, I appreciate that, your highness."

Sally led the bear to the seating area and both got comfortable on the big comfy chairs.

"Now, what is this emergency?"

"Up in the mountains, our villages are small mining communities that mine Fyr crystals. But the mountains are also a roost for a colony of dragons. Normally, the miners try to avoid them, and aside from a few unfortunate incidents, things went fairly well. But starting a few months ago, the dragons have been attacking the villages ruthlessly."

"I see."

"Now, we know that you are still rebuilding from your war with Robotnik, but we really need help. Before the attacks, the mountains were a protectorate of Mobotropolis, so I came to seek your aide with this problem. I know you do not have much, but we have heard of a great warrior amongst you who fought against Dr. Robotnik, and we're hoping to get his help; the one you call 'Sonic'."

A chill raced down Sally's spine at hearing the name. Even Amy who was listening in was startled.

Sally got up. "Would you wait a minute."

The queen went over to her desk and pressed a button on the intercom. "Send for Tails, I have an errand for him."

Sally returned to her guest.

"Please continue."

"So we had heard of how he defeated Dr. Robotnik, and well… We don't know how he could help, but we are desperate."

"I understand, but you must know, Sonic is no longer with us. He was killed fighting Robotnik almost two years ago."

The bear's black fur seemed to turn bleach white at hearing this. "What? No…"

It was here that the young fox knocked and entered the room.

"Here I am, miss Sally."

"Tails, get me the Minister of National Special Forces."

"Who? Oh, yes miss Sally."

The queen turned to the bear. "We may have lost Sonic, but don't give up hope; there is another who may be able to help you."

* * *

A few minutes later, Tails arrived at a house and knocked on the door.

Rouge opened. "Hey Tails, what's up?"

"Queen Sally has requested the appearance of the 'Minister of National Special Forces'."

"My aren't you serious all of a sudden. I just made some lemonade, you want some?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Tails was sipping a glass of lemonade when Shadow came down after Rouge called him.

"Hey kid, what's up?"

"It's Sally, she wants you at the palace."

"Is it important?"

"Very, she asked for the 'Minister of National Special Forces'."

"Oh brother. Why did I let her give me that title?"

Rouge smirked. "Because if she didn't, you wouldn't get a nice cushy government salary; after all, 'heroes' don't make a lot of money."

* * *

Shadow raced to the palace. When he got there the guards were waiting, and opened the doors to let him through. At the main doors leading to Sally's office, Shadow was stopped by Geoffrey.

"Hey Geoffrey, what's going on?"

"Queen Sally is meeting a representative from the Hoines Mountains."

"'Hoya-knees' Mountains?"

"'Hoy-niece', it's a mountain chain far to the north, and before Robotnik came it was a protectorate of Mobotropolis. They're having some problems and came looking for help."

"Uh oh, I hear the bells tolling."

Geoffrey ignored the comment. He turned away and opened one of the doors. "Your highness, he's here."

Shadow couldn't make out the response.

"O.K. They're waiting for you."

Geoffrey moved and allowed Shadow to enter. Inside, Shadow looked to his right to see Sally and Yohan sitting on the large chairs; both got up and Sally introduced them.

"Shadow, this is Yohan Sancot, the chief of Lalberdean in the Hoines Mountains."

"Mr. Sancot, this is Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic's brother."

Shadow was flustered that Sally would call him Sonic's brother, but the queen was mouthing the phrase "just go along with it" while the bear's attention was turned to the black hedgehog.

"Mr. Shadow, I am so pleased to meet you."

The bear had grabbed Shadow's hand and was shaking very violently.

"Uh, thanks. Now would someone tell me what's going on."

The three sat down and Shadow was filled in on the scenario in the mountains.

* * *

After the bear had made his plea, Shadow wasn't convinced. Sally set up a room for Yohan to stay while she sat down with Shadow. Amy had been told to take Comet for his nap so that they could be alone.

"I could order you to go."

"Sally, you won't do that. I know that I defeated Robotnik, but we both know that I no longer have the power that I once had. What can I do for these people?"

"In other words you don't want to."

Shadow smirked. "You know me so well, and I thought that I was getting better at subtlety." Shadow's playful tone was replaced with annoyance again as he brought up another point. "And that's another thing, why did you tell him that I was Sonic's brother?"

"Mr. Sancot was quite down when I told him that Sonic had died, I did it to boost his morale. Besides, we had one super speedy hedgehog and now we have another, that's quite the coincidence unless you were brothers."

"And what does that make us, sister-in-law?"

"First of all, you and Sonic were not really brothers." Sally let out a sigh as the current conversation was bringing back some bad memories. "And Sonic and I were never married; so no, we are _not_ related."

"Oh shoot, And I was hoping for some official royal title like 'duke' or 'earl'."

Sally was getting miffed at Shadow's focus on the family relation topic, not only because it distracted from the real topic at hand, but it was also dragging the issue of her deceased lover back in her face. "Can we get back to the issue at hand here, they've asked for our help, and I've decided we're going to give it to them."

"Why? Are you saying that they are still under our protection?"

"They need help, and I can't stand the thought of turning any needy person away. It would be a real show of faith for us to help; and frankly, we could use _their_ help."

Shadow looked at the queen, waiting for her to continue.

"We've spent a lot of money to repair the damage that Robotnik inflicted; there's still a lot left, but we have to look at our future. We need to open ourselves for business or Mobotropolis will start to decay. The villages on the Hoines were also dependant on us; they traded very heavily with us and with almost no one else, there were few places that they could reach. When Robotnik destroyed our land, they lost their connection to the rest of the world; it became very hard for them to get the products they needed. The Fyr crystals that are mined there are quite valuable and could be a boon for us, and can help both of us get back on our feet."

Shadow chuckled. "So, the kind, compassionate queen is in it for the money."

"Do it or I'm cutting off your salary."

"Look, this goes beyond money; this is a serious issue, there are principles, not to mention my neck on the line. You can't just go ordering… Oh what the Hell, I'll go solve their little dragon problem."

"Excellent. Now remember, you're going to be there representing Mobotropolis, so be sure to act diplomatic, as opposed to however it is you usually act."

"_Yes, your highness._"

* * *

"You're going where?"

Shadow was back home, explaining to Rouge and Bunnie where he was going.

"There's trouble in the Hoines Mountains, and they need help."

"Ah can't believe that you're going there, it certainly doesn't sound like yah."

"You were never able to turn Sally down, were you?"

"And your point is?"

Rouge smiled. "Oh nothing."

"How long are yah going to be gone for?"

"I don't know. If the problem is too big, Sally said I could just come home, but she is still rather adamant about helping these people. If you need to get a hold of me, you can talk to Tikal."

Bunnie wondered what was special about the echidna. "Why? What's with yah and Tikal."

"You know Tikal has this weird sense of hers; she got it from the Master Emerald, which I now have. She can use it to contact me, she's saved my butt a couple of times."

Rouge smirked. "That had better be all she's done to your butt."

"Oh, that's amusing."

Bunnie was worried about how many other girls Shadow had odd relationships with, but avoided outright asking if there was someone else. "Does Knuckles know about this?"

Shadow crossed his arms defiantly. "Gentlemen don't talk."

"Since when have you been a gentleman?"

"So, when do yah leave?"

"Sally is resupplying Yohan's truck, then we head out the morning after tomorrow."

"Well then, that gives us tomorrow to throw you a going away party, and two nights to give you reminders to remember us by."

"And one more thing; if yah happen to get lonely over there and yah meet some sweet little thing, we'll understand. Then we'll break every bone in your body when yah get back."

To be continued


	26. Chapter 2: A Journey Begins

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 2: A Journey Begins**_

Day 1

Two days later, a group had gathered at the main road leading north. Yohan's truck was parked and pointing away while he and Shadow were being seen off. Sally was attending to her visitor while Rouge and Bunnie were of course with Shadow.

"Well then Mr. Sancot, I hope things turn out well for you; I'm just sorry that we can't be of more help at this time."

"You're very gracious, your highness; I'm sure that Shadow will be able to help us with our problem if what we've heard is true."

On the other side of the truck, Shadow had heard the comment.

"Oh great. I wonder how much of what they heard was about Sonic, and how much of it is overinflated rhetoric about Sonic."

"At least it's not overinflated rhetoric about you." Rouge was trying to lift his spirits. "Oh come off it, you know that you have a tremendous amount of power; what with you possessing the Master Emerald and all."

"Fat lot of good that's gonna do me; I drained it of its power, it's dead."

"Didn't yah say that yah beat Robotnik without using its power?"

"Not quite, I did drain a little bit to give myself a boost."

"So what, Sally gave you a bunch of Power Rings so you can still give it a slight charge; and didn't Yohan say that there are lots of Power Rings in the mountains, since no one collects them they just bunch up."

"Stop being so negative about yahself; yah'll be fine, and back before yah know it."

"If you're both so worried, why don't you come along."

"Sorry, but Ah've got work on the farm to do."

"No chance; those mountains are freezing even in the fall, and I hate cold weather. Speaking of which, did you pack warm?"

"I'd rather have you to keep me warm."

"Well, since you put it that way… no."

"Can't blame me for trying. Will you two be O.K. while I'm gone?"

For the first time, Bunnie was really considering how things would be without the hedgehog around. "We'll be alright."

Rouge had an evil smirk on her face. "I'm sure we'll find something to do to pass the time."

"Now I'm really homesick."

On the other side, Yohan had already gotten into the driver's seat and closed the door. Sally had walked around the front to Shadow who was still standing outside with his door open.

"I wish you luck. I want you to help them as much as possible, but if things get too hairy, don't hesitate to come back."

"As much as I'd hate to disappoint you, you had better believe I'd split when things get too rough."

"Naturally. And one more thing, behave yourself."

Shadow didn't like to be told yet again that he should be on his best behavior. "Yes, Mommy."

Shadow sneered, then got in the truck.

The crowd pulled back a bit to free the vehicle as its engines started. As the truck sped away, Shadow looked back to see the faces that he wouldn't see for sometime. He knew not how long, but he had a feeling in his gut it would be a lot longer than he wanted.

* * *

The truck traveled through the woods around Mobotropolis, taking most of the day to reach the edge and the base of the mountains to the north. These were not the Hoines, they came later.

Shadow really only paid attention to how slow they were going; although the truck did clock a pretty good speed, it was a crawl compared to what Shadow was capable of. He figured that if he ran, he would be there by now; but with no knowledge of the terrain, he would likely get lost and delayed constantly, if he even got there at all. To pass the time, Shadow was making use of some of the novelties that he had packed with him.

In his large duffel bag with several articles of large clothing was a large crossword puzzle book, it was the first thing he took out. Being rather large, Shadow figured it would take him weeks, even months to figure out the whole thing; he really didn't like crosswords all that much, especially the trickier ones in the back of the book that were missing the black squares and numbers that told you were to go. Despite this, Shadow made a conscious effort to get through the tome of no knowledge, challenging himself to see how many times he cheated by looking at the answers in the back; he figured anything less than 1000 times was a miracle.

Along with the crossword book and another puzzle book with a greater variety of mind teasers, were a couple of scrapbooks. Rouge and Bunnie had taken some pictures of Mobotropolis and the people in it, thanks to the all-in-one marvel called "Omochao". They gave it to him to remember home, but also to show anyone in the mountains how Mobotropolis was developing. The pair had included another photo album for his eyes only, to show Shadow just how much they were going to miss him.

Also included in his bag of goodies was a small device he picked up while in Baltesaria last month, a piece of electronics with the label "Game Boy Advance SP" on it; he also picked up a few games with it, but was saving it for when he was especially bored. The city was more technologically advanced than Mobotropolis, but this was understandable considering the Hell that they recently went through. Baltesaria had a developed telephone system, and was also moving into smaller wireless devices; Rotor had been busy studying it and trying to duplicate it in Mobotropolis with some success, but it would be next year before you could reach out and touch someone.

What amazed him most was how accurate his falsified memories of the place were. Void had given him a fictitious family and a home in the bustling metropolis; and although his family was fake, the city that he thought was home was quite real. It was a very odd feeling for him to be there, he felt a unique feeling of belonging when he arrived, even though he had never been there before. Shadow almost couldn't leave the place when the trip was over, but he somehow tore himself away. When he got back to Mobotropolis, he felt the same kind of attraction; Baltesaria was his old home, this was his new home.

All of those memories made him realize that he was homesick already, and that he was going someplace that he had never been to, and would definitely not recognize when he got there.

"You feeling alight?"

Yohan brought Shadow back to the real world.

"Huh?"

"Homesick?"

Shadow didn't like telling people how he really felt. "No, just trying to figure this out: 7-letter-word for 'election candidate who finishes well out of place', third letter's an 'S'."

"Sorry, can't help you."

Shadow went back to his crossword puzzle, while Yohan tried to start up some small talk. "So, what was Sonic like, if you don't mind my asking?"

Shadow didn't really like small talk, and Yohan had come all this way by himself, so the hedgehog hoped that conversation would be kept to a minimum.

"We never really got along…"

It was now that Shadow remembered what Sally said; she told Yohan that the two were brothers, and now he was being asked about their history. His statement about not getting along wasn't wrong, it was a horrible understatement. He really didn't know anything of Sonic, or his family, just what anyone who knew him had told Shadow. The black hedgehog's mind churned, he needed a story to tell people about the blue blur. He knew nothing of Sonic's family, but he had the memories of his own; that's it, a little tweak here and there, and suddenly his family of four became a family of five: Clive and Patty, with three children Shadow, Sonic and Maria; a perfect family. Of course Shadow was the black sheep of this clan, a perfect excuse for being less than forthcoming about his past. That was a bit convenient Shadow thought, likely the design Void had intended.

"A sibling rivalry?"

"That puts it lightly, I was always a punk, hard, abrasive… When Robotnik came, I left home. After Sonic died I came back, and I took his place in the war; I haven't seen my folks since."

Yohan had little to say after that, he looked over to Shadow and saw the pain in his face.

"I'm sorry, I've asked too much."

Shadow shrugged it off and returned to his crossword.

{Good, that should shut him up.}

* * *

Shadow was right about one thing, Yohan didn't mention Sonic or his family for the rest of the trip, but it didn't stop him from making conversation about other topics. While the truck made its way through the trails between the mountains, Yohan tried some more small talk.

"Hey Shadow, I wanted to ask you about those two girls who saw you off."

"Rouge and Bunnie?"

"Yeah, what's going on between you three, they seem to like you a lot."

"You could say that."

"You're not married to both of them, are you?"

Shadow almost choked; he had no idea if polygamy was legal in Mobotropolis, it never came up. He never really considered getting married before, not to Rouge, not to Bunnie; sure he loved them, but he just wasn't the "marrying" kind.

"No, but we're rather intimate. Does it sound odd that I have two girlfriends?"

"Very, it's unheard of here in the mountains. Is that common in Mobotropolis?"

"No, no; it's that I saved a lot of people when Robotnik was around, and those two are the most forward with their… appreciation. I'm more or less a permanent bachelor."

"You're not interested in getting married?"

Shadow paused for a moment. "No, but I'm guessing you are. No bachelor would be this interested in the marital status of another man."

"Yeah, been married for 22 years now, a lovely lady, Carmelita; and I've got three kids. One's grown up, Kirkigard, a bit younger than you. How old are you?"

Shadow didn't really have an age, but he looked like he was in his late twenties. "27."

"He's 20. Marcy's a sweet little girl, just celebrated her 15th; and Brian, he's only 9, but he's already growing into a fine young man."

"Sounds like you have a pretty good family."

"Yeah."

Yohan turned back to see Shadow was frowning again.

"I'm sorry, if I touched a nerve."

"No that's O.K."

Unlike the last time where Shadow was faking it to shake off the third degree, this time he really did feel down; every so often, he'd remember his family, and how much he really did miss them.

"It's getting a bit late, do we drive all night?"

"No, there's a clearing up a ways, we'll park there before we head into the mountains. I hope you packed some good warm clothes, you'll be needing it soon."

"Yeah, several sweaters and a couple of big coats."

"Good, you'll likely need a sweater tomorrow. After that, the coats are mandatory."

"Aren't you miners? How do you mine if the weather's so cold?"

"The mines aren't that cold, the deeper you go, the warmer they are. In fact, its pretty pleasant even in the winter."

"Frankly, hard physical labor in small enclosed spaces isn't my idea of fun, or ideal work; I'm just not built for it. What I do is speed; if it ain't fast, I don't do it."

"I bet you don't like this little trip then."

"Nope."

* * *

"We're here."

Shadow looked out of the windows of the stalled truck. Yohan got out and stretched his legs, so Shadow got out as well.

Looking around, Shadow saw a strip of land at least a couple of miles long, but only a few hundred feet wide; it was green with grass, different than the gray color of the mountains on all sides.

"We'll set up a small camp, a fire and cook something good for supper. Then we get to bed early so we can get up at first light and make our way up the mountain."

Shadow turned towards the mountains in front of the truck.

"It'll take about 2 days to get to Vannannen, and Lalberdean is a good 2 days after that, 3 or 4 if we get held up anywhere."

Shadow didn't pay much attention to just how long the upcoming journey was going to take, he saw it for himself. The Hoines Mountains were huge, mammoth monoliths of rock that covered the skyline from the far east to the far west. Despite all his power and all his accomplishments, the mountains loomed over him just to remind him how small he really was.

A cool breeze came from the mountain.

"I think I'll have that sweater now."

{What have I gotten myself into?}

* * *

That night, Shadow spent his first night alone in a strange place since his abduction by the echidnas. He slept in a sleeping bag in the back of the truck, which was completely enclosed, unlike a flatbed that left the rear open to the environment. Yohan preferred to sleep up front in the driver's seat.

* * *

"Lonely already?"

Shadow felt that the bond he had with Tikal through the Master Emerald would be more important in keeping his sanity as the days droned on.

"I haven't been gone long enough to be lonely, but I might as well start now. You talk to Rouge or Bunnie yet?"

"You only left this morning. Sorry I couldn't be there to see you off, I've been laid up at home."

"Oh yeah, your baby is almost due."

"Babies, I'm having twins; we haven't told anyone yet."

"How did Knuckles take it?"

"He fainted."

"Ha! Big bad Knuckles, scared of a little baby."

"Men always seem to be scared of the littlest things; they'll charge into battle against a pack of wild animals, and cower at a tiny little insect."

"But insects are slimy and disgusting, ew."

"Very funny."

"Hey Tikal, I know you can bring messages back and forth, but is there anyway that I could communicate with Rouge and Bunnie directly?"

"I don't know, maybe I can do something and act as an intermediary, like a séance sort of thing; but I hope you three don't do anything too messy, you'll have to figure it out yourselves."

"That doesn't sound like you; when we were on the floating island, I remember you has being a lot more 'open'."

"But we're not there anymore, and I'm married now; so get those sick ideas out of your head."

"Hey, you were the one who brought it up."

* * *

Day 2

Shadow didn't like getting up in this early in the morning. For the last couple months Shadow had gotten used to waking up with two other warm bodies in a very comfy bed. He'd like to just lie there with the two, but often Bunnie would have to leave early to tend the farms, which is usually what woke him. This was definitely not the same; Shadow was wearing a sweater, lying in a sleeping bag in the back of a truck.

After a quick breakfast of grilled cheese sandwiches, Yohan and Shadow got back in the tuck and made their way into the trail.

The day was pretty mundane, seemingly endless driving through rocky trails with little to see other than mountains, cliffs, rocks and more of the same. The whole day was one long boring trawl, all Shadow would do was sit in the passenger's seat, doing his crosswords and playing the odd few minutes of Game Boy. Naturally, that brought a few questions from Yohan who wanted to know where it came from.

Every so often the truck would stop so that the travelers could get out and stretch their legs, or have some lunch, or take a bathroom break in a few bushes. On a couple of stops, Yohan and Shadow would check their baggage and switch clothes to something warmer; Shadow added a large wool scarf and a pair of pants to his sweater, and later a medium sized coat.

The night was spent similar to the last, sleeping inside the truck. It was getting colder, and Yohan left the engine on to keep the truck warm; but the truck ran on a supply of Fyr crystals that wasn't infinite, and could only leave it on for a brief spurt to warm up the cab.

* * *

Day 3

Like yesterday, Yohan and Shadow got up very early in the morning; Yohan wanted to get to Vannannen as soon as possible to rest up for the trip to Lalberdean. After a much cooler night than before, Shadow wanted nothing more than to get into a nice warm bed, and it didn't matter if he was alone or not.

Also like yesterday, there was little conversation going on between the two passengers; but this time it was Shadow starting most of the conversations, usually with the line "How much further?"

"So, how big is this place?"

"Nothing compared to Mobotropolis, most of the communities are between 100 to 300 people; Lalberdean is around 350. Not a lot of luxury, but everyone works hard to make them wonderful places."

"That's not a lot different than Knothole."

"Where?"

"During our fight with Robotnik, we lived in small encampments; the one that I and Princess Sally were in was called 'Knothole'. It's abandoned now, they turned it into a cemetery and memorial; Sonic was buried there. And don't go apologizing to me again, you don't have to keep apologizing over what happened."

"Sorry." Yohan almost kicked himself, which he couldn't do sitting in the truck.

"Vannannen is about an hour away."

Shadow laid back in his seat, waiting out the hour until he could get a good supper and a good night's sleep.

* * *

"Vannannen is just up ahead."

"Good, I could use a good meal and a proper bed."

After passing the bend, the truck pulled to a stop, and its passengers disembarked. Before them laid the ruins of a small village that had been reduced to ash.

"I'm starting to get the picture."

To be continued


	27. Chapter 3: Homeward Bound

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 3: Homeward Bound**_

Yohan and Shadow walked through the ruins of the village; smashed houses of stone spread their charred remains on the ground. Mixed in the slag, were large lumps of blackened meat, the remnants of the villagers. Some were recognizable as people, but it would have been difficult for anyone to recognize an incinerated face. Many of the bodies were desecrated, a meal for the attackers who killed them all; nothing but a few loose pieces were left: a foot, some of the less delectable inner organs, and a savaged head.

Shadow found one body that was in relatively good shape, though it was still charred black. It was hunched over, away from the action, as if turtling down like a coward would earn them enough pity to be spared. Shadow looked closer at the slender form, which he guessed was female; but when he touched the corpse, the top half crumbled like a burnt log in a fire. Underneath, a smaller form was there, a child, no more than 3 years old. Shadow guessed that the woman was his mother trying to shield the tot from the dragon's rage with her body. The boy was shielded well, but even the blaze-ravaged body of his mother could not protect him from the freezing cold of the mountains.

The hedgehog left, and walked over to Yohan who was bent down over other bodies.

"A week, I came through here only a week ago when I came to get you. I can't believe that the village is gone. It's people; there were almost 200 here. There must be someone left, someone the dragons didn't kill."

"I don't know, it looks pretty thorough; anyone who didn't escape or burn, likely froze. We can search around, but it might be best to leave and try to reach your home as soon as possible."

"Karma…"

"What?"

"Carmelita, I call her 'Karma' for short. I hope that she's O.K." Yohan stood up and breathed deeply. "But we have to check for survivors here. That and…"

Shadow didn't like the way Yohan's voice drifted off. "And? And what?"

"We need some more supplies, I was counting on getting some supplies here."

"How much do we have?"

"If we ration, we have enough to get to Lalberdean, even if we run into trouble."

"Good."

"But we'll have to cut back; smaller meals, and I can't have the engine running at night."

Shadow rolled his eyes, not wanting to make those concessions. "Let's try to find any survivors."

* * *

Yohan and Shadow spent an hour sifting through the remains of the city, cautiously working around the immolated corpses. There was almost nothing to find.

As Shadow pushed aside some timbers and bricks, he found something that wasn't completely burnt to a cinder, part of a mattress; the hedgehog didn't really care whose it was, for all he knew this was the one he might've been sleeping on that night.

"So much for my nice warm bed."

He tossed it aside, and it landed with a bit of a bounce.

* * *

Shadow met Yohan in the middle of the wreckage. "So, what did you find?"

"Almost nothing; virtually all the food stores were destroyed, probably eaten by the dragons and other wild animals that roam these mountains. All the vehicles were destroyed, and all the Fyr crystals in them went with them. You?"

"Just disappointment."

Yohan wiped his brow. "It's getting late, there's no point moving on until tomorrow."

Shadow considered his options, he wanted to get going as soon as possible, and wanted out of here all the more; but Yohan was the only one who knew where they were going, so if he said they were stopped, they were stopped.

"What ever you say, but could we _not_ stay here?"

"There's a chance that someone may pass through here, so we shouldn't go far; but I suppose that we could move just outside, this place is giving me the creeps too."

* * *

Yohan parked the truck just outside Vannannen on the road heading towards Lalberdean. Shadow started a fire and Yohan prepared a pot of soup.

"Do the villages have any kind of defense against the dragons?"

"Yes, the villages have various guard towers and we mount large harpoon cannons on them. We can usually keep the dragons from getting close and doing any real damage with a few shots at them, and that usually works. If the dragons get too close, we arm ourselves to fight them."

"With what?"

"Whatever is available; pickaxes and shovels, axes, hammers. When the dragons started to actively attack, we started forging actual weapons like spears, swords and shields."

"How effective would those be? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't dragons huge flying fire-breathing monsters; wouldn't they just swoop down and roast you alive?"

"You are correct, but their fire is not as destructive as you think. Just as it takes time for our supper to cook over this flame, a dragon's breath cannot kill a person instantly, or destroy stone houses. The best way that a dragon fights is to descend and fight with its claws and tail; fire is a good distraction and a blast of it can paralyze a small group, but if you circle around, you can get in a significant blow or two."

"How many villages have fallen before Vannannen?"

"Only one other, Polbal; it fell a few months ago. That was what started this whole mess. Before that, the dragons were a nuisance, but rarely did they threaten us; still, we were ready for any rogue dragons causing trouble. Then, one day they directly attacked Polbal. The villagers were caught completely unawares and destroyed, only one managed to escape and warn us. The other villages were able to up their defenses to keep the beasts at bay, until now that is."

"Who escaped?"

"Joshua Noos, a miner; he was leaving to visit family in another town. He was almost out of sight of Polbal when the dragons came."

"I wonder if anybody got out of here."

* * *

Shadow didn't think he'd get much sleep that night; he considered everything that was happening. Massive beasts that could fly and breathe flame, Shadow wondered just how effective he could be fighting such things. The idea that they had to land to do any real damage opened a few possibilities, but not many. At the very least he would see them face-to-face before making any decision to fight or retreat.

One other very gruesome thought crossed his mind. Yohan's comment about the fire not killing a person instantly brought him back to the woman with the child. She was shielding it from the fire; unable to move or run, just kneeled down trying to block the flame. Shadow could only guess how long she would have been under the heat, it could've been seconds or minutes, but no matter how hot the flames were, it would still be an eternity of excruciating pain.

Shadow shuddered as he thought of the woman's last minutes on this world. Her clothes, likely heavy outwear would've given her an added layer of protection, but would have only delayed the torment's end. If the flames were really hot, they would've burned to ash in seconds; her underlying fur wouldn't last much beyond that. Her back would then be immediately bombarded by the heat, scorching and blistering, tuning red before it succumbed and charred black. The pain would be unbearable as the nerves sizzled and snapped like meat on a frying pan.

The only thing that could've been the slightest bit merciful for the condemned mother was if the pain sent her to unconsciousness very quickly. Or it could have kept her awake through the whole ordeal, waiting until the heat finally attacked the skull and the head, boiling her brain like a stew.

Shadow wondered if the woman even considered how her baby would survive, or if the immediate threat of being burned alive was so great that she didn't even consider freezing to death.

The hedgehog's sleep was uneasy, but he did rest, his dreams were not as contaminated as he originally feared.

* * *

Day 4

The next morning, Yohan wasn't very well rested either; his dreams were infested by the fear that the dragons may have assaulted his home as well, but he didn't let on to Shadow about his fear. Shadow was affected by the ruins, but to Yohan he acted like he was made of stone; Yohan didn't want to fall apart in front of his guest and tried to hold strong. In reality, Shadow really wasn't as terrorized by the sight; he lacked the emotional attachment that Yohan had and his stalwart show was sadly real. What was scaring Shadow the most, was that he didn't really care about the town and the people in it. Neither of the two wanted to speak of this; Yohan didn't want to appear weak, and Shadow was ashamed to admit his lack of compassion.

Frying up some eggs and some vegetables into an omelet, Yohan and Shadow had a much smaller breakfast than the day before. They got back in the truck and continued on, each bearing a new found despair, something that made the trip that much harder and arduous.

Having less than the optimum amount of sleep that night, Shadow snuggled into the passenger's seat and tried to add some more time to his rest.

* * *

Yohan kept driving for a few hours, not wanting to disturb Shadow, hoping that was able to get some sleep; as long as Shadow was sleeping, Yohan didn't need to save face. This continued until he came to something on the road.

"Shadow."

Yohan looked over, he then shook the black one.

"Shadow, get up."

"Neh, ugh, ar? What's going on? We there yet?"

"No, up on the road."

Shadow looked ahead to see the obstruction.

The truck stopped in the road; spread out over the path was the mess leftover from a large trailer truck, torn in half, bits and pieces everywhere. Boxes were scattered about, some broken open and their contents spilled.

"What is this?"

"A supply truck; a merchant hauling cargo up and down the mountain for trade. We need them to get stuff that can't be found on the mountains."

"Hey!" Yohan and Shadow looked out the left side of the truck. "Over here!"

Yohan opened the door and got out, Shadow followed. Coming up to them was a gopher in a fur coat.

"I thought I was stuck out here forever."

"Milon? What happened?"

"I was heading towards Vannannen, I was due there yesterday. It was the morning before and I was making good time, I figured I'd get there in the afternoon. That's when I got clipped by two dragons; they tore open my truck, ate what they could, and flew off. How am I gonna get this stuff there now?"

"Don't bother, there's no one expecting you now."

The man named Milon turned back towards Yohan. "What?"

"It's gone, all of it."

Milon just stood there.

"Milon, we need some more supplies to make it to Lalberdean, can we take some of yours, and fuel too."

"I should charge you an arm and a leg for it, but I suppose you'd just charge me the same for a ride out of here. Sure."

It was only now the trader saw the other that was with Yohan. "Who is this? Wait, are you Sonic the Hedgehog? They told me you were gone down to get his help."

Shadow rolled his eyes into his head.

Yohan introduced Milon to "Sonic". "Unfortunately, Sonic is no longer with us, he died a few years ago. This is Shadow, Sonic's brother, he's the one who defeated Dr. Robotnik."

"Shadow, huh? Glad to meet you." The merchant reached out and shook Shadow's hand. "Milon Binhelm's the name, and if you need anything, you just ask and I can get it. I don't know how you dealt with this Robotnik guy, but if you can do the same here, it'd be a miracle."

"Thanks, I'm here to see if there's anything I can help with."

Yohan broke the two apart. "We need to get moving quickly, Lets grab some supplies and fuel and get moving."

The trio packed some boxes into the smaller truck, and Yohan collected some of the Fyr crystals and put them in; they also cleared out some of the debris to open a passage for their vehicle. Before leaving, they opened another box and started a fire near the overturned transport; it made the most sense to use some more of the lost cargo and have lunch here instead of wasting some of what they packed later on.

Around the fire, the three sat around eating a feast of meat, cheese and bread in a very quick and crude sandwich form; they ate enough for three meals.

"So Shadow, you're from Mobotropolis are you? How are things going down there?"

"Pretty good; reconstruction is mostly complete, but there's still a lot of things to finish."

"I've heard."

"You're a trader, you've never been there?"

"Not yet, I get supplies from across the mountain and towards the sea; sometimes I head out as far as Baltesaria or Tormilli. I haven't been south since Robotnik came; even though he's gone, I've heard that Mobotropolis is still rebuilding and not a good place for getting supplies yet."

"They should be soon, there are plans for a highway to Baltesaria, and a seaport."

"Great, then I'll see more of you when this is over."

"I hope not, I've seen you for two hours and I've already had my fill of you."

The three of them got a good laugh over that one. In reality, Shadow didn't laugh because it was funny, he did it just to be personable; he hated the whole situation and wanted to put this whole thing behind him.

After the meal, the three got back in the truck and headed out.

* * *

Nothing much happened on the rest of the day, or the day after, but their progress was well behind what Yohan had intended since the rescue of Milon Binhelm. What they gained was food so they didn't have to skimp on meals, and fuel so that they could have warmer nights to sleep in.

The path was long and boring, it was a constant droll of rock, the same garish gray rock with a slight blue tinge. The mountains rose up on both sides of the trail, but in some places, the path was on the side of a peak, where the rock rose like a tower on one side, and plummeted sharply on the other. Scattered on the rocks, Shadow could make out a glitter in the sun; the rocks themselves seemed to glow ever so slightly, but even brighter than that was the shine of Power Rings. The Rings came in clusters, large groups of a dozen or more, all within one step of each other; it would appear that a Ring supply would not be a concern, it's just so damn cold out that collecting them should only be done in the middle of the day. The only real break in the constant blue-gray theme was the occasional splash of green as a swath of evergreen trees appeared.

The road couldn't really be called that, it was a worn out path that was once only large enough for foot travel and small carts; but constant use and some coercing by the miners eventually widened it enough for large vehicles. The trails' population was very sparse, only the occasional wildlife would dare venture out. A lone rabbit would come out of the brush, or an odd goat might stop on a perch to watch the strange metal monster as it crawled over the landscape.

The nights were cold, frigid to the touch; to leave the confines of the cab would risk your health without protection of a snowsuit. Yohan let the truck run for an hour to heat the inside so that the occupants wouldn't meet an unfortunate end.

For the nights, Shadow had a bit of a tight fit; the new supplies took up a fair bit of room in the back, as did the merchant who didn't like sleeping in the passenger's seat either.

One thing that Shadow liked about Milon, was that he was pretty quiet; driving a truck along these lonely trails was not a job for very extroverted people, and aside from the odd parlance of words here and there on the journey, Milon didn't say much. Unfortunately for the hedgehog, he snored.

Rouge didn't snore, Bunnie didn't snore; why did he get stuck with this idiot and his nose?

* * *

Day 6

It was in the afternoon before anything changed in the repetition of the last two days since the trader joined them.

Yohan was getting nervous the closer he got, the memory of Vannannen was still fresh in his mind, and every nightmare scenario danced in his head, wondering if his home was attacked too. Would he arrive, only to find his wife and children reduced to ash? It couldn't be, it had to be there, it had to be just around these next few turns.

Shadow rarely paid much attention to Yohan unless the bear did something to draw his attention, but he did notice the rather impatient look on his face; not the look of anticipation, but fear of what was coming. Shadow didn't like people peering into his affairs and asking personal questions, so true to the Golden Rule, he didn't say anything.

The truck rounded one more bend, Yohan's answer was just ahead. What would he find? A community waiting with open arms, or a devastated charred mess. He could feel the goose bumps all up and down his body, like his skin was crawling and about to jump off his bones. Yohan's hands were clamped firmly on the steering wheel, as if wavering slightly on the road would curse this whole trip. Here it was, the last turn, clutch time, when all would be known.

Slowly and steadily the truck made it's way around the turn. Yohan looked up to see the first sign of home. Up on the mountainside, a small structure could be seen, with large open windows and several odd shapes poking through the openings. It was a watch house, a post set up to spot dragons and launch an early attack from the harpoon cannon that Yohan once mentioned to Shadow. Down the road a bit further, another post could be seen on the other side. And at the end of the trail, where it opened up, Yohan and Shadow could make out the silhouettes of some houses.

Lalberdean was here, waiting for his return. For the two minutes it took for the truck to get from the turn to the town, Yohan's tension turned from worry to anticipation, he was finally home.

Shadow saw the change in his travel companion, the glitter in his eyes, the smile on his face, the total abandonment of worry and concern; and more important that all of that, the loss of that longing, that feeling that tugs at your heartstrings. Yohan was home, but it reminded Shadow of one thing; he was not.

The hedgehog missed the home that he had not seen in almost a week, knowing it could be many weeks more before he'd be back. Though just five and a half days since leaving, he so missed Rouge and Bunnie, and his house, and Mobotropolis; he even would've liked to see Knuckles again, or even Amy. Tikal was the only one he had direct contact with, and could send messages back and forth between Shadow and Mobotropolis; but this was no different than mail or a telegram, just messages, the feeling was long lost, and the ability to get an immediate result was not there. Shadow couldn't reach out and touch them, nor could he get an emotional bond with anyone save the echidna. He felt totally detached from all he knew.

Now there was that longing, that feeling that Yohan had until now but hid relatively well under the worry he had for the concern of his people and his family. Shadow also had that concern, for he came here to fight a menace, and he also lived under the feeling that he might not return alive. Shadow understood just what Yohan went through, because he was now in that very position.

At least he could get a good meal here, and sleep in a proper bed.

To be continued


	28. Chapter 4: Homecoming

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 4: Homecoming**_

When Yohan first entered the town, most people simply moved out of the way; but when they realized that it was Yohan who was coming down the road, they started to collect around the vehicle. With the increased pedestrian traffic, the truck would not get very far, so it stopped just inside the first few buildings.

Yohan got out of the driver's door and was immediately surrounded by his people.

"Welcome home."

"How was your journey?"

"Did you get to Mobotropolis?" 

"What's it like?"

Yohan had to flag everyone down to get a word in edgewise. "Yes, yes; thank you. I'll tell you all about it over supper. And I also have some news."

It was at this point that Shadow emerged from the passenger's side. He had debated when would be the best time to appear, and figured now was as good a time as any; he didn't want to look stupid just sitting in the truck, and it was better to get this over with.

When he stepped out, people started to pay attention to him.

"Is that Sonic?"

"Yohan actually found him."

"I thought he was blue?"

Yohan called everyone to him to properly introduce the visitor. "When I had reached Mobotropolis and met with Queen Sally, she had told me some distressing news; Sonic died in the war with Robotnik."

This drew noise from the crowd.

"She told me that the vile doctor was beaten by another who had taken his place, Sonic's brother, Shadow."

Yohan pointed his arm in Shadow's direction.

"Hi."

This drew more chatter from the crowd, Yohan requested silence again.

"I have some important news. On the way back from Mobotropolis, we passed through Vannannen, and it was completely destroyed. There were no survivors."

Gasps and cries came from the crowd, unbelieving what they heard. Some were stunned, unable to even consider the disaster. One woman broke down in tears; she was from Vannannen and moved to Lalberdean when she married, but most of her family was still in Vannannen.

"It can't be destroyed."

"Was it the dragons who did this?"

"I'm afraid it's true." Yohan continued. "After we left, we came upon Mr. Binhelm, he was caught by the tail end of the attack; his truck was destroyed and he was stranded on the road."

It was now that everyone noticed the merchant standing behind Shadow. The crowd was getting louder with its questions for the three; Shadow was feeling boxed in by the crowd. Yohan saw how unruly people were becoming.

"Please, everyone calm down. I know you have a lot of questions, but this isn't the place for discussing it; Shadow and I have been on the road for some time and need a chance to rest up. We can discuss this properly after supper."

Slowly the crowd dispersed, some people were still shocked at hearing the news of Vannannen's destruction and seemed to crawl away. A few of the people weren't satisfied with waiting and tried to get in a few questions with Yohan, Shadow and Milon as they tried to unpack their stuff from the truck. Although Shadow would've preferred to have no questions right now, he was able to get a few of the villagers to carry his trunk that had his stock of Power Rings in it. Shadow didn't know if he had enough, or nowhere near enough, but he figured he'd need them one way or the other. There were Power Rings on the mountains, but considering the climate up here, he didn't want to be out collecting them.

* * *

For the first time in two weeks, Yohan walked through the entrance of his home. It was a large two storey stone house; Yohan and his family lived on the top half of the house, and went up a large set of stairs to reach the front door.

"Karma! I'm home!"

From another room, another bear came running in; a large tan bear, not as big as Yohan, but almost.

"Oh darling, I'm am so glad you're home."

The two shared a big hug right there in the porch. After breaking off, Carmelita looked over to see Yohan's guest.

"Is this Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"No, this is his brother, Shadow."

"Oh. Welcome to our home, Shadow; I am honored that you have come."

"Thank you."

From around the house, Shadow could make out more noises as two others approached.

"Daddy!"

Two more bears, both around Shadow's size though one clearly larger than the other came out and hugged their father.

"Marcy, Brian, it's good to see you again." Yohan stood up again. "This is Shadow, he came to help us."

The larger of the two looked at the black one. "I thought you said his name was 'Sonic'?"

"Sonic was my brother, he's… no longer with us." Shadow's hesitation made it sound like he missed his 'brother', but he really just didn't like the idea of everyone thinking the two hedgehogs were related, even though he was actually a clone of the blue one.

Yohan turned to his wife. "Would you look after Shadow, I have to arrange something for Mr. Binhelm. He had a run in with a dragon and got stranded just outside of Vannannen."

Yohan sighed. "It was destroyed, Vannannen is gone."

"What? It's gone?"

"I'll be back in a few minutes and we can talk more then, but it was totally destroyed."

"What no, tell me know."

"It can wait dear; you see to Shadow, I'll be back shortly."

Yohan almost wished he had said nothing about it, but he had to tell her, she was his wife afterall. He moved past Shadow and went out the door, leaving the hedgehog with his family.

"I hope your trip went well."

"Well enough."

Carmelita took Shadow's coat and hung it up in the porch; the hedgehog kept the rest of his clothes on, despite that the house was pretty warm and he normally didn't wear such things.

"We have a room set aside for you; Marcy, Brian, help me with his trunk."

"That's kind of heavy."

Carmelita giggled. "You don't live in these mountains without being good and strong."

The three bears were able to lift the trunk with little trouble while Shadow followed them into the guest room with his duffel bag.

"I hope you like this room."

The room was rather plain, but it did its job of being a room rather well. Inside was a fair sized bed, much larger than Shadow would need by himself, but not as large as the huge one he had at home, which was barely big enough considering the occupancy. There was also a bureau with a mirror, with several large shelves in it for storing several changes of clothes, a rather simple shape with no ornate edges or decorations, just a simple box shape with a dark varnish.

Carmelita moved over to a closet and opened it. Inside, the shelves were half filled with linens and towels.

"We just store our extra towels and stuff here, just take what you need when you shower. Come, I'll show you the rest of the house."

Shadow left his duffel bag on the bed while the trunk of Rings was left at the end of the bed.

Karma showed him around the top floor of the house; a wall divided the house in two halves, a front half and a back half. The bedrooms were in the back of the house, as was the bathroom, which was connected to both the hallway and the master bedroom. The front half of the house was wide open; to one side was a living room, a rather simply furnished room with chairs and a small table, and the far wall was decorated with a brick fireplace. The other side of the house had a small kitchen, enough to seat the family, but it lacked a lot of room to store food. In between was an opening with a table laid out, a rather nice table in opposition to the mostly plain look of the rest of the house; a dining room, for special occasions. The porch and front door were between the living room and the dining room, with a broom closet between the porch and dining room; a small wall partially segmented the dining room and kitchen.

"You have a nice place here."

"Thank you, it's probably nothing compared to what you have in Mobotropolis."

Shadow thought about that; it really didn't compare to the house he had, but that was a reward for his services. Most of the homes in the city weren't as big as his, though probably bigger than this.

"Not by much." Shadow pointed to the kitchen. "You don't really have a big kitchen, it doesn't look suitable for a family of four."

"Oh, no; the kitchen is for small meals and such, or for preparing special meals for guests. We normally eat in the mess hall."

Shadow thought back to his few months in Knothole; it too was small and most everyone ate in a cafeteria like place. Bunnie had a small kitchenette set up in her hut and cooked for herself, often inviting Shadow over.

"So when's supper hour?"

"It should be another hour or so."

"I want to ask, Yohan said you had three children, only two are here."

"Our oldest, Kirkigard. He's all grown up and on his own. He has a place on the east side of the village. He works as a guardian and is on duty now. You'll meet him later."

At the front door, Yohan entered again.

"I'm home."

Yohan placed his outerwear on the hooks in the porch and came into the kitchen where the others were.

"Mr. Binhelm's put up with the Dorneys, he'll be borrowing a truck to get down the mountain tomorrow morning."

Karma looked at him, she didn't really care about the merchant, she wanted to know about Vannannen. A fact that was not lost on her husband.

"Vannannen was completely destroyed, laid to total ruin." Yohan paused. "We searched for hours, but found nothing but rubble and charred remains."

"Did you recognize anyone?"

"No, they were all burned so badly, there was no one I recognized; they were like lumps of ash from a campfire."

Shadow remembered his own experience at the site, the burned woman with the frozen child. He froze when her body crumbled at his touch, revealing the dead baby, crying tears of ice for all eternity. Shadow decided against bringing it up.

* * *

Shadow was talking to Yohan and his family about Mobotropolis, and everything that happened since he joined the fight against Robotnik; of course, Shadow had to alter a few things to hide his real story.

In turn, Yohan and Karma told him more about the Hoines Mountains and the people who lived there. They also talked a bit about their family and how they met, which naturally led to Shadow's family, and on to questions about his two girlfriends.

After almost two hours, a loud bell was heard outside.

"That's the supper bell."

The lot of them got up and headed towards the door, Shadow remembered what Karma told him about the mess hall.

* * *

Yohan led his family and Shadow towards a large building in the center of the village, inside the large stone building was an equally large room with long wooden tables and benches on both sides. In the back was a long row of tables manned by several people who handed out food. He brought his group to the starting end and each took a tray and large plate. As they walked down the long row that separated the dining area from the kitchen in back, they picked up various bits of food, handed to them by the assistants manning the tables.

Shadow first took a small bowl of salad instead of a few pieces of toast, then a large piece of steak was placed on his plate; and as a side dish, Shadow took some mashed potatoes. At the end, he took a glass of some kind of juice that Yohan had suggested, then added some butter on his potatoes, finishing up the meal with a set of silver cutlery.

When Shadow reached the table that Yohan had led them too, he laid his tray down, and took a quick glance around the room. Shadow could feel the eyes of the villagers around him, they were all very tense since hearing about Vannannen's demise; they wanted answers, not only about the destroyed village, but about Shadow as well. Shadow tried to ignore them, this was the first real meal he had in almost a week, and he wanted to enjoy it. He ate some of the garden salad, the vegetables were nice and fresh, but it could've used some dressing, something tangy but not spicy.

Picking up his knife, he cut a piece of the meat and put it in his mouth; the taste hit his taste buds instantly. It was prepared with a host of spices like a peppercorn or teriyaki style steak, but definitely neither; it was very tasty and he enjoyed chewing it in his mouth, which was good since it was also rather stringy. After a while he was able to sufficiently mash the resilient meat enough to swallow. Looking down at the steak, he wondered if he would be able to digest the whole thing.

He then dipped into the potatoes; they were whipped a bit too much for his liking, but it was soft and a lot easier to eat than either the salad or the steak. He took a sip from the glass, and tasted the odd mix of flavors; he wasn't sure what they were, but some strange concoction of grape juice, cranberry juice, and something else that he couldn't quite distinguish.

Karma glanced over to their guest. "How do you find it?"

"It's pretty good, I prefer mashed potatoes over whipped though. The steak is really good; it's sort of like the peppercorn steaks at home, but it's a little tough and stringy. What is it?"

"It's dragon meat."

Shadow froze at hearing that; the large beasts that terrorized the mountainside, wiping out villages and killing the people, were apparently not the only predators around here.

"No wonder you're being attacked by these things."

"We didn't eat dragons before, but after they starting attacking it was hard to get supplies in and out, and food was becoming scarce. After we first killed a dragon, we cut it up for food, and used its bones like timber. One dragon provided enough meat for the village for a few days."

"Days?" Shadow looked around at the people who were sitting down for supper; there were many gathered here, and this was apparently not everyone. Some like their son Kirkigard were on guard duty, and fed on a different schedule from the miners. Shadow tried to fathom just how much meat that was.

"How big are these dragons?"

* * *

After supper, Yohan moved to the side of the room where a small table was set up perpendicular to the eating tables.

"Everyone, if I may have your attention! I know that you have a lot of questions, particularly about Shadow and Vannannen. Now that you're all here, I can tell you what happened."

Yohan obviously glazed over the fact that there were some people missing, but that was taken for granted. The village chief went through the details of his trip; the rather boring, uneventful ride down the mountain, and reaching Mobotropolis, a truly grand city compared to the small villages. He talked about Queen Sally and her hospitality, and briefly mentioned hers and Sonic's son, Comet. After that he talked about Shadow, avoiding the topic of Rouge and Bunnie, preferring to call them his biggest fans as opposed to girlfriends.

Then came the trip back, nothing worth noting until the pair reached Vannannen. He talked about the hours they spent searching the charred rubble for any survivors, before eventually setting up camp for the night just outside the ghost town. Shortly after, they met Milon Binhelm, stranded on the road; taking some of his supplies, they made their way back to Lalberdean.

After Yohan's dissertation, it was Shadow's turn to address the people, and answer any questions they had about the hero from Mobotropolis.

Shadow started by talking about his history with Sonic, a story that Shadow had to make up on the spot. To keep it real enough, he simply altered bits of the past that Void created for him. He made up a quick story of leaving home, finding a Chaos Emerald, then returning later when Sonic died, and took his place. Then came the event with the echidnas and the Master Emerald, skipping the part about Void, and ending with the attack on Robotropolis and the defeat of Dr. Robotnik. After that came questions about the Chaos and Master Emeralds, requiring an explanation from Shadow about their power; the hedgehog told them of how he had consumed the Emeralds' energy to accomplish his goals, but he still had some of their power.

There was still much doubt that Shadow would be of much help, and Shadow was not one for confidence boosting pep talks; but he did promise Yohan that he'd help, and wasn't going home until he did all he could.

After another hour, the meeting came to a close, though it would be another half hour before everyone had left for home. Carmelita had taken the kids home once supper was over while Shadow stayed with Yohan and talked with some of the villagers. After they had finally left, Shadow brought up a nagging question.

"Yohan, over supper your wife mentioned that we were eating dragon meat, and gave a brief hint as to how large they are. How big are these dragons?"

The bear stopped walking and hesitated. "It's getting late, but I can show you."

* * *

Yohan led Shadow to a large structure about the size and shape of a barn, even though no farming was done here.

"Mac! You in there?!"

After a minute, a small door in the large double doors opened. In the frame stood a large badger, almost the same size as Yohan.

"Yohan, what are ye doin' trollin' around at night?"

"We were heading home and I wanted to show Shadow the dragon."

"Do ye now?" Mac noticed the hedgehog. "Hey there."

"Hi."

"This is Mackenzie, he's the blacksmith and maintains the barn. I know there's no farm here, we just call it a 'barn'."

"I noticed."

Mac led the bear and hedgehog inside.

"It's in back."

The barn was so big, that it also doubled as a garage; several vehicles of different sizes were parked inside, closest to the massive double doors. The three weaved between the boxes and supplies to a place in the back. The reserved space was pretty large, easily big enough to take the truck they drove down in. Propped up on the wall were long curved shafts of a dull white rock; it didn't take long to determine that this was not stone, these were bones, ribs of the dead beast. Even longer than those were other thinner rods of the same material hanging from the ceiling, the slender rods that stretched the wings of the beast. And there, between some boxes that were overflowing with smaller pieces of the dull white minerals, a large horrendous shape, mostly intact and complete, larger than life itself, the skull.

Shadow looked upon the massive skull, the jaw was big enough that it could take his whole head and possibly his whole body in one bite. The teeth were like short daggers, incredibly sharp and shiny; though half of them were missing, Shadow could picture how the bony head would look with the whole set. Two long twisted poles of bone ripped out from the sides and curled forward, narrowed to a point on one side, the other also narrowed but was broken off long before the sharp end.

"Bloody Hell…"

To be continued


	29. Chapter 5: Of Doubt and Darkness

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 5: Of Doubt and Darkness**_

Shadow was hoping for a good night's sleep tonight, but no such luck. It was his first night in a real bed in almost a week, with warm sheets wrapped around him and a real pillow lifting his head; but all this wasn't enough to repel the fear that was growing in him. He had seen the devastation that was caused by these creatures, and just a few hours ago he had seen the remains of one of the monsters; now he had a good idea as to the girth of his enemy, Shadow figured if the inside of Yohan's house was gutted, one of those beasts might have a chance to cram in.

His mind was working in overdrive, trying to fathom the true nature of the creatures, the full power of the beasts, the vicious savagery of his enemy. Shadow was restless through his nightmare, tossing and turning. Eventually his body overcame his mind, telling him that it was time to sleep. Slowly he fell asleep.

* * *

His mind was cloudy, his dreams were distorted, his conscious was in chaos; it was a state that was normal for him, but this time the chaos was warped even more by his fear.

"Tikal?" Shadow's soul wandered in his nightmare. "Please be here."

"You rarely say 'please', something must be wrong."

Shadow saw the echidna in his mind, surrounded by an aura of peace that extended away from her body, like a small piece of Shadow's mind was cut out and replaced with a piece of Tikal's.

"I am so glad to see you."

"You must really be homesick."

Shadow approached Tikal, but stopped before reaching the peaceful place that came with her.

"It's not that. Well, it is partly that, but it's more. I saw something that's got me totally spooked. You remember when I told you about that town that was destroyed."

"Of course."

"Well, just a few hours ago, I saw one of them, actually a skeleton of one, just a few bones…"

Tikal could see that Shadow was fidgeting. "Calm down."

"It was huge, it could probably eat me in one bite."

"Is this the first time you've been this scared? What did you do when you challenged Robotnik?"

"I've had no time to be scared before. When I fought against Robotnik, I was so angry; that was the whole reason I joined Knothole in the first place, because I wanted to make him pay. When I tried to save Sally by going back in time, I wasn't scared of the consequences, I was too worried about…" Shadow hesitated, he realized that no one remembered any of the tinkering Shadow did except for Geoffrey and Omochao.

"Go on, I am fully aware of your time traveling."

Shadow paused slightly before continuing.

"The first time I was really scared was when Rouge told me about Bunnie, that was scary."

"You were scared of her feelings for you?"

"That might seem funny now, but when Rouge first told me, I was shaking in my shoes. With Robotnik, it was my anger and hatred that overrode any fear; but this was something I couldn't hide behind. How could I be angry with someone who loved me?"

"So you're scared because you have no other emotions to push your fear aside. Interesting."

"How so?"

"That you seem to have come to this conclusion all by yourself and didn't need me at all."

"Don't need you? I wanted to talk…"

"Because you don't want to confront your fear."

Shadow was flabbergasted, as usual, Tikal was totally right.

"Just what is it you're scared of? The dragons?"

"More than that. I've been homesick, Mobotropolis was the first 'real' home I've ever had, it's the first place I have any desire to go. When I saw the destruction in Vannannen, I was worried… that I might not be returning at all."

Tikal thought for a moment. "So it made you scared, but not angry? You joined the fight against Robotnik because you wanted revenge; because you hated him for killing Sonic, and then attacking Bunnie's farm. But with the destruction of this village, you didn't feel any urge for revenge?"

"A bit, I saw that woman, burnt to a cinder, holding a baby that was frozen to death. I don't know why, it just didn't spark that anger." Shadow shook his head, as if he should have been ashamed for not getting angry. "Then something happened today."

"You saw a dragon."

"No, it was when we were eating. The steak was a bit stringy, so I asked what it was; they said it was dragon meat."

"Why does that annoy you, what's the difference between that and hunting wild animals?"

"I don't recall eating Robotnik when I defeated him." Shadow calmed down. "I've been taken from my home, dragged into the mountains, asked to fight a bunch of monsters for a bunch of people who are preying on them."

Tikal tried to probe Shadow by asking the opposite question. "You think these people are the problem?"

Shadow stopped his tirade. "No, I'm just really annoyed that I've been brought here. I dislike the people for bringing me here more than the dragons who have so far done nothing to me. They want we to solve their dragon problem, when I just ate evidence that suggests they're not doing too badly without me."

"Then what do you think is the real problem?"

"I've been told that the dragons weren't a major problem until recently. It just seems like this whole mess is a misstep that's gotten way out of hand; as if some villagers got a little too close to the dragons and set them off. Maybe a miner caused a cave-in where some dragons were nesting and they got in a huff, or maybe a dragon mistook some villagers for lunch and that was the end of it."

"Something tells me this problem isn't going to be as simple as that to solve."

"No kidding. Once you get to the point where you're eating your enemies, it's pretty much gone beyond the bargaining table."

"So what are you going to do? Leave them? Help them destroy the dragons?"

"I don't know… Sally wants me to help, so the least I'll do is stick around for a while. If there's nothing I can do, I'll come home; if there is, we'll see."

Nothing was said between the two for almost two minutes.

"So what's going on at home?"

"Everyone's in a hustle with the visitor from over the sea. As for me, I was in the hospital today."

"Nothing serious?"

Tikal patted her stomach. "False alarm, but it put Knuckles on edge."

Shadow smiled. "I'm sorry I missed that."

"I was talking to Rouge; she came over when she heard I went into labor, only to find I went home. They miss you."

Shadow could've guessed that much.

"She didn't say, but they're also worried that you wouldn't be coming home either."

Shadow knew quite well what the two girls were going through.

"Would you tell them that if they miss me, then I'll worry about weither or not I come home."

"Why?"

"Because worrying if I'll come home in one piece is a lot easier than missing them."

* * *

Day 7

The village was awake early the next morning, rising before the sun. Shadow came out of his room with a yawn.

"Did you sleep well?"

Shadow turned to Karma who was already dressed and ready to go.

"I had a good night, much better than all of last week."

"Well get ready, breakfast is starting in a few minutes."

* * *

After a few minutes to wash up and dress, taking a handful of Power Rings from his trunk, Shadow joined the Sancots and headed to the mess hall. Yohan had already left to get an early start on the day. In the hall, Yohan was sitting at another table, while Carmelita took Shadow and her kids to their regular table.

"That's our eldest, Kirkigard."

Shadow looked at the group Yohan was with, across from Yohan was another bear with black fur.

"They're some of the guards, Kirkigard and them work the evening shifts."

"And is this a family meeting or work? Yohan seems like the leader around here."

"Unofficially; he more or less leads us, but we don't have a real leader. I'm sure he'll want you to meet the guards."

"I guess that's what I'm here for."

Shadow returned to his breakfast, a full and hearty meal of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast, with orange juice on the side.

"I almost hesitate to ask, but what kind of meat is this?"

"We get it brought in through trade; the bacon I assume is pork, and the sausages are whatever sausages are usually made from."

"Good."

Shadow dipped into his morning meal.

* * *

After breakfast, Yohan called Shadow over to the table with his son.

"Shadow, this is my son, Kirkigard."

"Hey."

"Shadow, huh? They tell me you defeated this Robotnik guy."

"Yep."

"Then what have you got against dragons?"

"Do you mean as a weapon, or a reason for helping you defeat them?"

"Both."

"I don't know, to both."

That put a bit of a chill at the table, but many of the people at the table knew how fierce the dragons were, and that nothing should be expected from the appearance of one stranger, no matter what his previous accomplishments.

"Well, at least you came here with realistic expectations."

"I came here with no expectations."

"Just what I said."

After the quick volley of depressing wit, the rest of the introductions came. Amongst the table sat a muskox named Filo Sween, a hefty porcupine everyone called "Sledgehammer", and Haley Finnes-Mars a sheep who took her husband's place when he was killed three weeks ago. At the end of the table was a very silent sort, dressed in black and barely attentive of what was going on at the table; a rat with platinum blonde fur and glossy red eyes. It was as if the Grim Reaper was sitting at the table, waiting for the souls of fallen warriors to take to the Netherworld. Clipped to his side was his version of a scythe, a long Japanese styled sword, wrapped in a black leather sheath; positioned on his right side, it indicated that he was left-handed, just one more quirk to this enigma.

"So what's with 'Happy' on the end?"

"He's a mercenary. He came wandering up the mountains a couple months ago, looking for work. We didn't have much use for mercenaries, but he was pretty good at hunting and caught a fair bit, so we kept him. Since the dragons started causing trouble, he's been a real help. He doesn't talk much, only told us his name once when we hired him, Veder Juda."

Shadow looked at the rat. "Nice name."

Veder paid him no mind, sitting there as if all his thought processes were preoccupied with something else. Dark and silent, if he was anything like Shadow then he was paying very close attention to the conversation, but just sat there not putting in his two cents worth; just sitting, dark and silent.

{I like him already.}

* * *

For the rest of the day, Shadow was hanging around the small village, getting to know the layout and some of the people. He spent a bit of time with one of the morning guard shifts. For three hours he was paired up with a bull in one of the guard towers. While up there, Shadow watched the procession of vehicles and workers as they headed up a small trail into a nearby hole in the mountainside.

Casey, Shadow's partner was showing the hedgehog the ropes; talking about the roads and nearest towns, the mining schedule, the harpoon cannons mounted to the watchtower, and of course the dragons. Shadow learned that the dragons often attacked in small groups, a couple of lone dragons coming out and shaking things up. But every so often, the lizards would come out in force, dozens of dragons attacking all at once. Thankfully this was rare, partially because of the narrow confines between the mountains, which limited the size of any attack force. Sadly, it did happen, and it was very hard to defend against such an assault; as was evident by the current state of Vannannen.

To pass the rest of the three-hour tour, Casey and Shadow talked about their respective lives. Shadow talked more about his recent battle with Robotnik and his life in Mobotropolis, as opposed to any of his early history, which was made up. Casey mentioned how he came to the mountains when he was young; his father took a job in another town as a miner. Afterwards, he became a miner, married and had two children. The conversation took a hallowed tone when Casey told Shadow about the fate of his family. His wife passed away about five years ago from illness, and his son, who was also a miner, died in a cave-in earlier that year. All he had now was his daughter, a bit older than Brian; and he took the job of guard to ensure that she remained safe; to protect her when he couldn't protect his wife, or his son.

Shadow was getting depressed again, another lonely soul pouring his heart out. Casey really wasn't "pouring his heart out", but the little bit of grief he showed got on Shadow's nerves.

* * *

After the time in the watchtower, Shadow spent the afternoon with Yohan to get a feel for the village. Most of it was just houses, with only a few large buildings. Two of them were the mess hall and the barn/garage. Next to the garage was Mac's blacksmith shop, and near the mess hall was another building that was used for a clinic. There was also a building that processed some of the Fyr crystals that were mined; it was a necessity in these times with most trade routes severed, even though it was nowhere near as efficient as a proper refinery that would be found off the mountain.

Afterwards, Yohan took Shadow out to the mines, but the hedgehog didn't feel like going in; being the fastest thing on the planet, the tight confines of a mineshaft was not a favorable place for him. Shadow noticed some Power Rings up the side of the mountain and tested his hyper speed on the rocky surface.

As he went up, Shadow found the solid surface to be pretty good for using his phase run, although it was harder going up as opposed to a nice flat surface. Occasionally he would hit a spot of some loose rocks, but would quickly adjust and regain his footing to continue. He reached the spinning golden circles, 29 of them in a bunch, more than he ever found in one place. He collected them together with a bunch that he had taken from his trunk that morning.

With the stock in hand, he triggered his Chaos Control and charged down the mountain in record time, leaving a green fiery tail behind him. It took four seconds to climb, and half a second to return. Yohan and a couple of miners who witnessed the feat were definitely impressed.

"So, is that how you defeated Dr. Robotnik?"

"Something like that. I was worried that the terrain might pose a problem, but it seems just fine."

"Is there anything else you can do?"

"Given the opportunity, I can do plenty."

* * *

Yohan and Shadow returned to the village. The bear gave the hedgehog a series of maps of the mountains and the villages in them. Shadow would look at them later; right now, he just wanted to get away from everything for a minute. First he went back to his room at the Sancot's house; he put some of the rings he collected back in the trunk, then laid the maps on the bureau.

Lying on the bed, Shadow figured he might get in a quick nap, but noise from around the house was not making it easy. Brian apparently had a friend over and was playing in his room down the hall. Shadow considered going over there and asking them to be quiet, but he thought it best just to find another place to be alone with his thoughts.

Outside, Shadow wandered around the town, looking for some small nook or cranny that Yohan didn't show him, someplace quiet that he could sit down and just be with himself.

During his round about path around the village, he was stopped by several people, usually for nothing more than a friendly hello; apparently the show of speed at the mines was not public knowledge yet. He answered back with an equally polite "hello" and a smile, just to be nice, even though he felt that everyone he met was a delay in his finding some peace and quiet.

He eventually reached the outer limits of the town, the buildings that ran along the mountainside to the north. There was no one here, now he just needed a place that was out of sight of the watchtowers.

* * *

After a few minutes, Shadow found his quiet little nook; too bad someone else had claimed it before him.

The hedgehog trotted up towards the white rat who simply stood leaning against the wall, not moving, seemingly frozen like a statue. Were it not for his glassy red eyes turning around to focus on the other hired hand, Shadow would have thought that Veder was as dead as that child in Vannannen.

Shadow slowly crept up, not wanting to disturb the mercenary; but if he was anything like Shadow, then he was annoyed by Shadow's very appearance. The rodent didn't flinch, until the insectivore was within range.

With one stroke, Veder swung out his sword from the sheath and right at Shadow's neck. When it reached its apex, it was in empty air.

Off to his right, Shadow appeared in the exact same position on Veder's other side.

"You're as fast as they say."

Veder put his sword back.

"And you're about as menacing as I figured."

Veder didn't bother answering, he just leaned back on the wall and seemed to ignore the hedgehog. Shadow realized that Veder wanted his space, which is exactly what he was looking for. Leaning back, the hedgehog rested on the wall, finally achieving the peace and quiet he wanted.

He stood there for a few minutes, but eventually curiosity got the better of him; he was getting restless with the figure standing next to him, wanting to know more about the fiend who tried to take his head. Shadow was clearly not as good at keeping to himself as the rat was.

"So how did you end up here?"

Veder didn't reply.

Shadow was a little dismayed, but he figured that he wouldn't get an answer anyway.

"You're not like anybody else here, you're more like me."

"If you were anything like me, you would've gone away to find another spot, or at the very least kept your mouth shut."

Shadow thought about that for a moment, despite their apparent affiliation for darkness and desire for solitude, the pair really didn't have much in common. The rat stood silent again; in all his years, he's realized that with some people you ignore, but with others you have to chew them out to get your peace and quiet. The rat could feel the evil air about Shadow, a darkness that was deeper than even him, something that by comparison made his life a walk in the park. That made Shadow tolerable, if he'd shut up.

Shadow returned to resting silently against the wall, he didn't want to go looking for another place, this was just fine; were it not for the rat standing just over there, it would be perfect. The hedgehog didn't like being put down by someone acting like a bigger jackass than him, so he decided to have some fun.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm…"

Veder paid Shadow little mind when he started humming a strange little tune; but he couldn't help but notice when Shadow switched to whistling, and he didn't whistle very well.

"Would you stop that."

"Stop what? Whistling?"

"Yes. It's blatantly obvious that you're doing this to annoy me. So leave, and take your bloody yap with you."

"You don't own this place, I can go wherever I want."

"For such a dark soul, you sure like acting like a two-year-old."

"Aw, who told you."

The rat didn't even want to consider the implication of such a stupid phrase.

"Quit being so cold. We're both in this village, neither of us are like the people here, we're both dark and menacing; the least we could do is hang out."

"I don't hang out."

"That's for sure. They way you act, it's a wonder that anyone would ever _want_ to be your friend."

"For a guy who claims to be dark, you sure don't seem to understand it."

"I was once like that. I learned that being dark doesn't mean that you can't have friends."

Veder was getting really annoyed, Shadow was sounding like his mother. He was sure that Shadow would find that an insult, just as he would also use it against him.

"You feel the darkness, and you think that means you have to shun everything that is light; you're not allowed to be happy, you're not allowed to have fun, you're not allowed to be nice to people. You can be dark if you want, but this lone gunman act is a bit overdone. We're a lot more alike than you think."

"Don't presume to know me. I can feel the darkness in you, just as you can feel it in me; but you don't know me, so stop pretending that we are anything alike."

"And what makes you anymore of an expert on me?"

"I'm not the one trying to start a conversation."

Veder was finding Shadow's incessant talk more and more annoying; he realized that there was only one way to shut him down: take control of this conversation.

"So what did they do to drag _you_ here?"

Shadow was startled that it was Veder trying to start up with him, but at least he might have the chance to connect with someone over here, even if he was a total jackass.

"Well out with it, since you're so eager to spill your guts anyway, maybe then you'll give me some bloody peace and quiet."

Shadow hesitated before he came up with an answer. "I'm doing this as a favor for a lady back home."

"You like this dame? Girlfriend?"

"No, but I've always felt a bit guilty. You see, I had a part to play in the death of her fiancé. So when she asks for a favor, who am I to refuse."

Shadow shifted his head as Veder swung his arm around, aimed for the black one's head.

"You're a fucked up little pussy you are. '_I had a part to play in the death of her fiancé._' If you killed the bloke that'd be one thing. You've got the darkness, but you've got none of the grit."

"And you, you act dark but you're nothing but grit."

"Suppose you're right about that, mate."

"So what brought you here?"

"It's nice and quiet, peaceful…"

"That hardly sounds like the place where a guy full of grit would appear."

"And you're the bloody hero of Mobotropolis, hardly the role of a dark soul."

"There was someone who deserved to have his face rearranged, and I was the one who rearranged it. Now what's _your_ excuse?"

"Let's just say that there are a lot of people who'd love to rearrange my face, particularly for what I did to everyone before them who wanted to rearrange my face."

"Ah, hiding."

"I don't hide, I just got sick of everyone and wanted a change; none of these pansies knew me, so I trotted right in."

"And they leave you alone?"

"They had better. Everything was alright until you showed up with your big mouth."

Shadow was pretty pleased that he was starting to get on the nerves of the vile one, and able to finally crack his exterior.

"Well, I must say that this has been the most enjoyable conversation I've had all week; it's nice to know there's someone here more miserable than I am. I'll see you around."

Veder realized that he was starting to get too personable with the black one. Shadow was right, he was full of grit, but a lot of the menacing aspects were more of an act to keep to himself; it usually worked, except for very cheery people, or "dark souls" who weren't put off. Veder wasn't too bad if you got to know him, but when he wanted to be alone, he made sure that you knew it. Returning to his "old" self, the rat stood like a statue again.

"I'm sure people have told you to lighten up, but I won't, since I hate it when people tell me that. So let me give you this advice." Shadow started walking away. "You need to get laid."

Shadow left the rat behind; Veder didn't move while Shadow was making his departure. When the hedgehog was totally gone and he was alone again, the rat chuckled once.

To be continued


	30. Chapter 6: Twilight of Fire

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 6: Twilight of Fire**_

Day 9

It was Shadow's third full day in Lalberdean. Like the previous two days, Shadow awoke from his bed, washed up in the bathroom, and then dressed. After putting on his overcoat, Shadow opened his trunk and took out a bunch of Power Rings, stuffing them in his pockets. Now fully prepared for what the world could throw at him, Shadow left the house tracing a path to the mess hall. When he got there, Shadow went to the line, collected his breakfast, a large omelet and a grilled cheese sandwich with a glass of orange juice, and then looked for a seat.

Off to his left were the Sancots, minus Yohan, whom he usually sat down for meals with; off to his right were the guards, the people he was supposed to be working with to fight the dragons. The Sancots were a kind family that was playing host to the black one, and he felt most comfortable with them; on the other hand, the guards were not the most hospitable people around, fighting dragons who could level a whole town was obviously not improving their disposition.

The whole situation was not a whole lot different than the old days in Knothole, a rag tag bunch of rebels fighting a vicious force from a small encampment, lacking most of the amenities that Shadow was now taking for granted in Mobotropolis. But in those times, Shadow wasn't like anyone else; most of the old Freedom Fighters were assembled as a troop under Geoffrey, and many of them were former military from the old Acorn Kingdom. Shadow wasn't like that, he didn't fit in with the rebel forces, and was more independent; he didn't take a lot of orders and did most of his fighting by himself, with nothing but his Chaos Control for backup. It was very similar here; while the guards were not real military, they learned fast and became a pretty well-defined fighting force. It was that that annoyed Shadow. He was still as independent as ever and never really became a cog in Knothole's forces, nor did he want to just blend in to Lalberdean's paramilitary regime. In the old days, he was always closer with the people like Sally, much like he was getting closer with his adoptive family here.

All signs pointed to sitting again with the wife of the one who invited him, but somewhere deep down alarm bells were ringing. Ever since this whole mess started, it seems as if everything that was going on was against Shadow's will and wishes; as if whatever he wanted was wrong. He looked over at his hosts, and wondered if it was simply more appropriate that he should be sitting with them, or the guards who were busting their asses to keep the village safe; something that Shadow really wasn't doing yet.

Reluctantly, he had convinced himself that he should be with the guards, the ones he was supposed to be here helping, and the ones he should be getting close with. Heading over, he found an empty space near the end of a table and sat down, trading nods with a few of them, although most were too busy eating or talking with someone else to acknowledge the hedgehog. Some were just plain ignoring him.

Most of the guards were still apprehensive regarding the hedgehog, just like the mercenary Shadow wasn't like the others. The guards were mostly miners, who when faced with the threat of the dragons had become defenders of the town, just as others like them in the nearby villages took up arms to defend themselves; but deep down, they were still miners, and had other duties to perform. Shadow on the other hand wasn't a miner, and had no other duties; while the others also had to help in the mines, or in the makeshift refinery in the village, he did nothing. Shadow didn't like the situation either, he didn't feel that he really fit in, and he hated just waiting around; his biggest though silent complaint wasn't that he was dragged here into a dangerous situation, but that he had nothing to do in the meantime. As far as Shadow was concerned, bringing him here was a big waste of theirs and his time. Only the memory of Vannannen a few days ago showed him that these people did need help, sadly it was quickly fading behind the monotony of life in the small town.

* * *

After breakfast, Shadow was hoping for something different to do today. He had spent all of yesterday simply patrolling the town, and also tested his speed on the mountains, to see how far he could go. The hedgehog was studying the maps that Yohan had given him and wondered if he could try to race to the next town. Nosadire was the closest and would take more than a day of driving to get there, but Shadow figured that he could make it in about 20 minutes. He even thought he could get that lower if he took a direct route across some of the rough terrain, as his phase run cared not for terrain so long as it was solid. Eventually, Shadow got his orders, and was condemned to continue his rut from yesterday.

He spent the first half hour lamenting his position and how much longer this would go on for when a welcome break came; Karma called out to him and asked him for a favor.

"I need your help with something."

"Sure, what is it?" Shadow hated menial labor, but he wanted anything to break up this dreary routine.

"We have several errands to do and we need someone to look after the young ones. Marcy's available, but there are 13 of them under 10 years of age, a bit too much for her alone."

"Well, I'm here to help protect the town, I guess children are part of the deal."

Shadow wasn't sure if he'd like the children, since the only one he ever spent any time with in real life was Tails, and he was pretty mature for his age.

"Thank you, they're over in a small field just behind the mess hall. If they get too rowdy, you can try calming them down with a story; I'm sure they'd like to hear about Mobotropolis."

Shadow followed Carmelita around the mess hall to the small field where the kids were playing with a ball. At first glance it looked like they were playing some derivative of soccer; but as he got closer, it started to look more like a game of "kick the ball around". He recognized two of them right away, Marcy and Brian.

"Oh children." Karma called out.

The kids stopped for a moment and turned to the mother bear.

"You've all met Shadow, right? He'll be keeping an eye on you today while I'm busy."

The kids spoke in a close unison. "Hi."

Shadow waved. "Hi."

"Well, I'm off. I hope you get along."

Shadow watched as Carmelita walked away, while the children returned to their game. When the adult bear was out of sight, Shadow walked over to her daughter who was off to one side.

"So what are they playing?"

"Oh, they're just kicking a ball around. Something to do to pass the time."

Shadow noticed the somewhat bored tone in Marcy's voice. "Something wrong?"

"No."

The sigh only reinforced Shadow's belief. "Sounds like you're bored; watching the kids not your idea of fun?"

Marcy added a bit of snobbery to her voice. "Hardly, just a bunch of little pests."

"Ah, I've heard that before; the 'I'm to old to be with little kids, I should be with kids my own age' attitude."

Marcy didn't respond to that, but the extra little pout on her face was enough to tell Shadow that he hit the nail right on the head.

"I've noticed that there aren't a lot of teenagers around."

"No, I'm about the only one. There are two other teens, but they're both older than me; so while they're usually with the adults, I'm stuck baby sitting."

"That's a tough break. Reminds me of this kid back in Knothole."

"Oh."

"His name's 'Tails', we call him that because he has two tails." Shadow chuckled a bit at the odd sight of the fox, then he realized that at no time did he ever find out his real name; for the sake of the story he ignored that oversight. "Anyway, he was about 12, and he was the oldest of all the children in Knothole; there were only 4 in total, but none of the other three were Tails' age."

"There was a girl here some months ago, she was only a year older than me. She was my best friend, until she moved away."

"Tough."

"Yeah, she was here with her mother and little brother; they moved to another village down the other side of the mountain where her uncle lived. Things were just getting a little too _hot_ around here, so they left. Plus, her uncle was trying to set her up with a boy in the village over there."

"An arranged marriage?"

"Not really, but there were no boys her age around here, nor my age. It's not uncommon around here to find your husband or wife in another village. In a year or two, I'll probably be sent to another village to try and find a mate. Are you married?"

"No, I'm still a bachelor, but I've got some prospects back home."

"You mean those two girls you mentioned."

Shadow smiled. "Uh, yeah, them."

"And do either of these girls _like_ you?" The childish tone of Marcy's voice suggested just what the term "like" meant.

"_Maybe_."

"Oh, and just how do you get two girls to like you that much?"

"It's all part of the hero game." Shadow acted all big and tough at this point. "You save someone's life and they love you."

"Oh really."

Shadow laughed. "I've saved both of their lives, and I can understand how they'd appreciate that, but there's just something about them."

"And how is it that you have two girls chasing after you without trying to kill each other?"

"Rouge is a bit strange, at least most people around here would find her strange; she convinced Bunnie that they should try to stay on friendly terms, to make it more of a game than a life-or-death struggle. They keep it friendly, but sometimes I get the feeling that they'd try to rip each other's throats out if they had the chance."

They traded a laugh.

"And what are you looking for in a boyfriend?"

Marcy laid back, she never really thought about getting married, she was still a little too young yet. "All I want is for someone to carry me away from here. A dashing young man to pick me up and bring me to a beautiful land without barren mountains, and fire breathing dragons."

Shadow and Marcy sat there, contemplating Marcy's dream. But the bear was also considering her dream, and whispered an alternative to her Mr. Right.

"I just want someone to take me out of this place."

Marcy sat there, and Shadow didn't want to disturb her little quiet time. He leaned forward, and had his attention focused on the children playing in the empty area.

* * *

A loud bell was heard, ringing very fast, as if at least two people were banging on the metal alternately.

"What is that?"

"Dragons. They're attacking."

"You kids better hide and…"

Marcy was already herding the children away, knowing what to do in case of an attack. Shadow was left alone, caught in the middle of a storm of activity as people scurried for cover, or battle positions. With little idea of where to go or what to do, Shadow located the first person who seemed like he was going into the battle and just tailed him.

Everyone was armed with many kinds of weapons: swords, spears, axes; some of them like hammers and pickaxes were regular tools that were co-opted as instruments of war. Shadow felt a little out of place being there with no such armaments; but he quickly checked his pockets for the Rings he was carrying, knowing that he had a potent weapon of his own.

The people of Lalberdean were taking up positions about the city, sitting behind the stone walls of the houses and short walls that marked the limits of the village, waiting for the oncoming attack. Some of the people were looking out around the walls, spotting the dragons as they approached, to tell the others when to move; either to attack or to flee. Shadow didn't like just sitting back and wanted to see the incoming dragons, so he scooted away from the group he was with and used his phase run to get on top of one of the houses. Once there, he took a defensive position behind a chimney and looked out.

High in the sky, three black marks could be seen slowly wafting in the air. As they descended towards the village, they took shape, and color, and size. At the long distance, Shadow still couldn't get a feel of how large the beasts actually were, but he had a feeling that they would be really large.

When the dragons came close the guard towers launched a preemptive assault, firing long bolts of steel into the air. The demons avoided the huge arrows, but one emitted a shriek when the spear clipped it on the side. Now they were angry.

The dragons swooped down and attacked the towers, blasting it with their fiery breath. Inside, the guards closed a series of steel shutters to block the heat while other towers around the village fired at the dragons to shake them off, to keep them from trying to savage the stone and metal structure. The trio left the guard tower and split up to attack other towers, each one trying to burn or claw its way into their respective targets; but like before, they were shooed away by the remaining towers.

As they flew directly overhead, Shadow could see just how massive his enemy was, and how powerful they were in a one-on-one fight. Each one the size of a small house with huge wings that extended almost twice as far on each side; covered in a dense patchwork of overlapping scales, bulging around the large muscles of their four legs, and up the arms of their wings. One had deep red scales covering its back and sides, a mix of ruby and blood red, blending into a bright orange on the underside; its head was lined on the back by a row of short horns. Another had a dark forest green shade of scales that covered the whole body, and two long horns that swept back, instead of curling forward like the skull Shadow saw in the barn. The last was lime green with a yellow belly, and its horns curled around in a spiral like a ram's. He could see how the pressure of an army of these monsters could easily ravage a village, even though this small group was having trouble breaking the defenses.

After a few minutes of toying with the guard towers, the dragons decided to ignore them, and dipped towards the village, searching the streets for the villagers. As they swooped over the buildings, the beasts fired jets of hot gas to the ground. Firing on the stone houses did little to faze them other than to slightly char them, and color them a glowing orange.

Shadow danced around the chimney to avoid detection by the giant creatures, just like the villagers. When he was sure that neither dragon was looking, Shadow would jump to another roof and hide at another chimney. The hedgehog wondered just when things were going to happen; did the villagers think that the dragons would give up and leave, or were they waiting for them to eventually land and jump them. Whatever was the plan, Shadow was getting tense just waiting there; he wanted something to happen.

Soon something did happen, one of the dragons swooped down, blasting its breath at the ground. Shadow couldn't see if the dragon saw any of the villagers in the street, or if it was just poking around, hoping to flush some out. A commotion heard down below suggested it might have been the former. Shadow crossed over some of the houses to get a better look, and almost forgot to check for other dragons. He had to quickly duck to avoid detection from the lime green dragon that flew just behind him.

The lime green dragon and the red dragon circled around, intent on locking in on the action that the dark one was involved in. Before it could get there, the lime green dragon was targeted by another group; a long chain was thrown and looped around its back legs. The villagers tried to pull the beast down; although it's powerful wings kept it aloft, it was having some trouble with the heavy chain tying up two of its legs and the added weight. Kicking its legs around, the dragon tried to haul the villagers off, and threw many of them several meters through the air; but it could not free itself from the chain that was anchored into the ground. Hoping to fight off the villagers that were surrounding it, the trapped dragon fired upon them causing them to scatter, only to have them come around from behind and try from another angle.

The red dragon saw that both its comrades were in trouble, but the lime green one seemed to be in more danger. Swinging around, the red beast came down on the villagers and blasted at them with its fiery rage. The two dragons were able to repel the assault, at least for a minute; while the red dragon provided cover, the lime green dragon focused on the chain. A stream of flame was unable to melt the steel links, and it was too strong to simply rip apart. The dragon landed and reached back with its forward legs to tug at the chain around its hind legs. After a minute, the chain was pulled slack and fell off. The dragon roared and flapped its wings to get airborne. While the lime dragon flew around to find those that dared snare it, the red one moved to the dark dragon to back it up.

Shadow had been paying close attention to the captured dragon, and turned his attention to the other battle with the shift in the fight. The dark green dragon was staying off the ground and raining flames to the ground. Shadow had no idea just how the people on the ground were faring, but they were soon about to have a double headache. While the band was preoccupied with fighting the dark green dragon, the red dragon came in to ease the tension, and roast a few of the peons. Shadow saw the ambush coming up and chose this opportunity to join the fray. Leaping over a couple roofs, Shadow lined up with the reptile and pulled his hands back.

"Chaos Spear!"

The blazing lighting bolt fired straight through the air, but the red-scaled dragon swerved to avoid the comet. It looked back and roared at the impudent hedgehog. The dragon flew back towards the rooftop with Shadow standing on it. The hedgehog stood there, taunting the dragon to come closer. Approaching Shadow, it pulled back its head and unleashed its blazing fury. When the flame was almost tickling Shadow's fur, he leapt off the roof and appeared at another roof. The dragon couldn't see Shadow through the flames, nor did it know that Shadow was already out of range, it just kept blasting the roof.

"Chaos Spear!"

The red dragon was too preoccupied to see Shadow on the other rooftop, or to avoid the energy bolt that he fired. The spear slammed right on the side of the dragon's torso and exploded in a blaze of sparks, inciting a cry from the beast as its whole body lurched in pain and fell to the ground.

It took a few seconds before the creature moved at all, showing that it was stunned, but not dead. With a wail, it fired again at Shadow; though it was more a defensive blast to shoo him away, not an attack. Struggling to get up, the dragon eventually got back to its large feet. Spreading its wings, the beast jumped up and took off, not wanting another punishing burst from Shadow. With a pitiful wail, the beaten beast called to its comrades, and all three retreated. The villagers suspended their attack, including the guard towers when they saw the dragons leaving without any further conflict.

The villagers watched closely as the dragons flew away, wary of celebrating until the beasts were well out of range. Once there was nothing more than three specks in the sky, cheers wrung out up and down the streets. Most were happy that they were gone, and the people in hiding soon came out now that the coast was clear; but some saw what happened, and how Shadow struck down one of the demons in one shot. They called out to him, to come off the roof and join them below.

Shadow looked down briefly before resuming his stare to the heavens and the three disappearing marks in the sky. His attack on the red dragon was racing through his mind on a continuous loop, that blood curdling scream echoing in his ears; Shadow knew "blood curdling" when he heard it. His strike hit hard, but while the dragon felt a lot of pain, it really took no damage; it was stunned and shaken, but quickly recovered.

Shadow looked down to the villagers below, the story of his attack was spreading, and the people were cheering him on; but it only served to unnerve him. It reminded him a bit of Knothole, when he returned after saving Geoffrey's troops from Robotnik's forces. The people of Knothole were also very appreciative of Shadow's triumph, but at the time they were too busy tending to the injured to lavish over their black hero. For Shadow that was acceptable, and as he got to know the people of Knothole more and more, he grew to tolerate their zealousness and modest hero worship when Robotnik finally fell. But this was something different, everyone wanted to congratulate Shadow, and many of them were starting to see the hedgehog as the messiah that Yohan may have suggested him—or Sonic at least—to be.

Shadow wanted nothing more than to disappear right now, but that would only make things worse, and the longer he stood on the roof looking like an idiot, the worse things were going to get as well. There was only one thing to do, go down there and get it over with. Shadow trotted to the edge of the roof and jumped down into the crowd. The villagers started to glom around the hedgehog like a pack of rabid wolves on a large prairie animal they stalked and downed.

"That was amazing."

"How'd you do that?"

Shadow was trying to calm everybody down, mainly to get them off his back, but he had no idea how to do that. Trying to shrug off questions or giving overly modest answers only resulted in more attention; all the hedgehog could to was keep smiling and try to wait it out, hoping that the village didn't break into a parade or something.

"Is that what you used against Robotnik?"

"We're glad to have you around."

"You really hurt it with that."

Despite the success at warding off the dragons, Shadow still wondered just how effective he would be fighting these monsters; he knew that the shock caused a lot of pain, but it didn't really hurt the dragon. In a way, he was worried that these people were putting too much faith in him, depending on him the way Knothole did; on the other hand, he also wanted any excuse to go home. He was sure that if he had left before now, most would probably have shrugged him off with a polite "thanks for coming"; but not anymore, there was no way he was going anywhere.

To be continued


	31. Chapter 7: Venturing Out

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 7: Venturing Out**_

Day 12

Three days had gone by, and no action was seen in the small village; naturally, Shadow was getting bored again.

His previous victory was no longer fresh in his mind, and he knew that his effectiveness in battle wasn't totally proven. He was able to take down one dragon with his Chaos Spear, but it seemed to do no permanent damage; how he could handle being in a massive firefight with more dragons was a serious question.

There was another problem: he was here in Lalberdean, but there were other villages in the mountains. He couldn't defend them all, he didn't even know if he could reach any of the other villages. Studying the maps that Yohan had given him, Shadow plotted a path to the nearest village, Nosadire. By truck, you could leave at dawn and arrive sometime late at night; but Shadow hoped to make the trip in record time.

Spending all of yesterday studying the maps to the town, Shadow had the route memorized down to each turn. The last thing Shadow wanted was to stop and ask for directions, especially on a road where there was no one between him and the final destination. This morning, he spent the day going over the map one last time, and having a midmorning snack. Confident that he was ready to go, Shadow rolled up the maps, keeping the one that showed his route, just in case.

Back at his room, Shadow left the rolled up maps, then packed a small backpack with as many Power Rings as it would hold. Before leaving, he took one last thing, the two photo albums he brought from Mobotropolis. Before putting them in the backpack, he laid down on the bed, and started to flip through the pages. He first hit the "special" album that Rouge and Bunnie made, something that he liked to look at before going to bed to give him something to dream of as he slept; in the daytime, Shadow rarely looked at it. It really wasn't appropriate for the middle of the day, especially now when he was preparing to leave. Shadow wondered when they had the time to put together this album, they only had the one day before he left. He didn't feel like taking this album with him, and put it back in the dresser; not really considering what might happen if he left it behind, hoping that no one would come in and poke through his stuff.

Shadow looked on his dresser and picked up the other book. Opening it, he flipped through the pages, more slowly and intently than the "special" book. There were pages upon pages of bits and pieces of Mobotropolis, pictures of almost every inch of the city, and the people in it. The first page had a picture of the palace, a truly grand structure when compared to the simple stone houses in Lalberdean. Below that was a picture of Queen Sally wearing a semiformal purple dress, something that she usually wore when meeting with dignitaries as it was much more dignified than boots and a vest. Queen Sally was also giving a bit of a wave to the reader; apparently the image was meant as much a travel brochure as a memorial.

Shadow flipped the page over, and the on the reverse was another image of Sally, this time holding Prince Comet in her arms; a beautiful picture showing Sally's motherly side. Below that was a picture of Sally with Amy, and Amy was holding the young prince. The next page had a close up of Amy's head, smiling and waving at the camera. That was followed by a picture of Geoffrey St. John, standing at attention before a troop of the Mobotropolis guards.

The next flip brought another two pages, these featured the two girls that Shadow left behind. The top left had a picture of Bunnie riding on one of the tractors, a large metal beast painted a bright yellow. Below that was a picture of Rouge, blowing a kiss at the camera. The right side had a picture of the two of them at Shadow's house, Bunnie was in the door while Rouge was sitting on the roof. Finally, there was a picture of the pair together, Rouge was standing a bit behind and to the left of Bunnie with her arms around the rabbit's waist.

Shadow quickly glanced over the next few pages, pictures of the orphans playing in a park, Knuckles and Tikal, the fields surrounding Mobotropolis, Maria, the dancing robot, the ruins of Castle Acorn, and one image of the rather disturbing Omochao, who was playing the role of digital camera and took a shot of himself in a bathroom mirror.

Shadow almost forgot that he was getting ready to leave; snapping back to the present, he stashed the photo album to take to Nosadire, then closed up his pack. Taking the one map, he rolled it up, then tucked it inside his coat. Swinging the backpack around and over his shoulder, Shadow left his room and went out into Lalberdean.

* * *

Outside, there were only a few villagers around as most were busy with their jobs, but a few did see him off. After a brief exchange, Shadow made his way to the outskirts. Once he was out of range of the town, Shadow kicked it into high gear and charged down the road. In seconds he was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Shadow ran along the roads for more than five minutes before stopping. Taking a break, Shadow reached into his coat to pull out the map and looked at the route, just to make sure he was on the right road. Certain he was on the right path, Shadow continued on.

* * *

After a few more minutes, Shadow came to a fork with a pair of road signs, Cordeng to the left, and Nosadire to the right. Another name was written on the sign pointing to the left, but it was marked out.

Shadow paid it little mind, as he was aiming for Nosadire, and it was listed on the sign.

* * *

After another five minutes, Shadow stopped when something caught his eye. Moving to one side of the road to get a better look. Up in the sky was a large floating shadow.

When Shadow recognized the large black mass as a dragon, he ran into some brush growing on the mountainside, wondering if the beast had seen him.

After a few minutes, the flying eyesore had moved on. Shadow was content that he wasn't spotted, but took his next few steps cautiously, as if he was sneaking around a sleeping guard during a big heist. Confident that the coast was clear, Shadow hit the road running.

* * *

It took almost fifteen more minutes for Shadow to find what he was looking for, another small village much like Lalberdean. Before approaching Nosadire, he stopped for a moment to take in the scenery.

Unlike Lalberdean, which was in a valley, Nosadire was on the mountainside, so the sky was completely open on one side, letting the sun shine right down on the stone houses. The houses where made of gray stone with an orange-brown cover of brink shingles on slanted roofs. None of the houses were very large, none of them were as large as the two storey house that the Sancot's shared. There were no overly large storage buildings like the barn, in its place were three smaller storage sheds that combined weren't as large as Lalberdean's whale of an edifice. There was also a central building that was about the same size as Lalberdean's, about the only thing that seemed to compare in the least to the other village.

"Another quaint little village, oh great."

Shadow was thinking that Lalberdean was the closest thing to a major urban center in these mountains. Shrugging off the comment, Shadow ran down the last stretch of road to the entrance of the town.

When he got there, the village seemed somewhat vacant, but when he listened he could hear some commotion in the village.

"They must be in the mines."

Shadow wandered around town, looking for someone.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

"Howdy, stranger."

Shadow looked to his left to see a chipmunk coming up the side.

"Where'd you come from, I didn't see a truck come in."

"I just came from Lalberdean, I ran here. Name's Shadow."

"You _ran_ here? Don't be ridiculous, that miles and miles of rough terrain, there's no way you…" The chipmunk thought for a moment. "Wait a minute, you're a hedgehog, I heard that Mr. Sancot was heading down the mountain to get the help from some great hero, a hedgehog or something."

"Yeah, that's me."

"Well I'll be damned, it's nice to meet you Mr. Shadow."

"It's just Shadow."

"Glen Mackey. How long did it take for you to get here?"

"About half an hour."

"Well heck, you're pulling my leg. Hey, it's almost lunch time, you're probably starving; come on, we'll get something to eat."

"Well I wouldn't say no,"

* * *

Shadow was led to the main hall where a bunch of tables were laid out like Lalberdean. In the back behind a steel shutter, Shadow could hear the sounds of the cooks preparing the next meal. In the room with them were the children of the village with an orange cat; at first it looked like she was just baby-sitting, but on closer inspection it was a classroom with the feline teaching a history class. Shadow was a little surprised that there would be kids studying when all that racket was going on in the back, but he figured that they have to learn somewhere. Also around the room were several other people who obviously had nothing else to do at the time, and were here waiting for lunch to start.

Glen directed Shadow over to a small group to the side.

"Hey boys."

One of the men at the table noticed Shadow. "Hey Glen, who's this guy? Some hiker that took a real wrong turn?"

"This is Shadow the hero of Mobotropolis."

"'Hero', we sure as Hell could use a few of 'em around here."

Another man remembered hearing about this "hero". "I heard of him, but I thought his name was 'Nick', or 'Slick', or…"

Shadow corrected him. "You're thinking of my brother, Sonic. He died a few years ago, then I took his place." Shadow mentally kicked himself, he had been using the ploy that he was Sonic's brother so much that he was starting to believe it himself.

A rather grizzled old man called out in a muffled voice. "Sorry to hear that son. Sit down, tell us about this Mobotropolis, I haven't heard a good story in a long time."

Shadow sat down and placed his sack next to him once he was down, he started to talk a bit about Mobotropolis and the war against Dr. Robotnik.

After about 10 minutes, the teacher came over and interrupted Shadow.

"Excuse me, but you are being a bit loud, my students are having trouble working."

"Oh sorry."

"Did you say you're from Mobotropolis?"

"Yes I did."

"Could I trouble you for a few hours this afternoon? It would be real nice if you could talk about it to the children, I'm sure they'd love to hear about Mobotropolis."

"Oh, sure."

"Thank you, we can do this after lunch."

The teacher turned back to her class and told them about the visitor from Mobotropolis. As she anticipated, the children were quite wide eyed at hearing about the presentation later that day.

* * *

After lunch, the teacher had Shadow sit down with her class and tell them all about Mobotropolis and the war with Robotnik. Shadow managed to avoid talking about Mobotropolis before Robotnik came, as he never saw Mobotropolis before a few years ago. Although it was meant for the children, a few of the adults heard about Shadow's appearance and stayed to listen.

He started to talk about what life was like in Knothole, the little forest encampment where Princess Sally led her rebels against the vile doctor. He talked about how rough it was living in the small community that was nowhere near big enough to consider itself as a town. He got to talking about Robotnik and his robot army, and the battles that Shadow fought in, which weren't very many as Shadow came in on the last few months while the war lasted more than a decade.

Shadow also talked about the floating island of the echidnas, and how he fought Robotnik for control of the Master Emerald. He skipped over the part about Void, since it conflicted with the whole "Sonic's brother" story, and jumped right to the final battle with the tyrant.

The children were enthralled by the stories of the war, but the teacher was hoping that Shadow would move onto life in Mobotropolis of the present.

Shadow sped past the reconstruction and got to the present day. He spoke about the new palace that wasn't anywhere near as grand as the old castle, but certainly impressive when compared to anything in the mountain towns. Shadow continued by talking about the parks and the hospital and some of the people when he remembered what he brought. Opening his pack, Shadow pulled out the photo album with pictures of Mobotropolis in it.

Shadow enlisted the teacher's help to hold the book while he explained the pictures in it. He showed them what Queen Sally looked like, and his "nephew" Prince Sonic. Some of the kids thought that Amy was Shadow's sister or something. He then got to Bunnie and Rouge, whom he tried to explain off as being close friends, but a series of childish "Ooo"s suggested the kids had other ideas.

The show continued with pictures of more people, and then pictures of what Mobotropolis looked like, with streets and houses, and parks, and a shopping mall, and a hospital, and trees, and a whole lot of other things that were not found around here.

After going through the whole picture book, the class asked Shadow a bunch of questions. The whole session ran right into supper hour.

* * *

Shadow ate supper with the people of Nosadire and was talking with some of the miners that were away all day while Shadow was talking with the children.

The presence of the visitor was the talk of the hour as it was very rare to have visitors, let alone someone not from the mountains, hearing about Mobotropolis was a real change from the normal tedium.

Shadow was playing nice with everyone, just as Sally had instructed, but he really didn't need the coaxing. After having time to adjust to his situation and putting the initial hesitation behind him, Shadow was letting himself enjoy the quaint little town; having long since forgotten his homesickness.

"Hi."

Shadow looked up to see the teacher standing over him.

"Thank you for talking with the children today, they often find my normal class to be very boring."

"Oh, it was no problem. I enjoyed it."

The cat sat down next to him. "That's good, I hope you found the children to be well behaved."

"Please, _I'm_ not well behaved."

"Well you had better behave yourself or you can go sit in the corner."

"My you are a mean teacher, miss…"

"Kearney, Sandy Kearney."

"Shadow, no last name."

"Well then, Mr. 'No Last Name', how long are you going to be staying in Nosadire?"

"Not long, I figure I'll hang out for the night, and head back tomorrow morning."

"Oh, I see. I didn't think your visit would be so short, it's a fair trip from Lalberdean to say just over night."

"It didn't take long, only about 30 minutes one way."

"30 minutes, well that is impressive, it usually takes a whole day."

"I didn't come by truck, I ran here."

"You ran here, in half an hour? That's quite, something. Tell me, back in Mobotropolis…"

Shadow was listening, but Sandy didn't say anything afterwards.

"Was there something you wanted?"

"Oh nothing, just…"

Shadow saw the way the teacher fidgeted and knew that there was something that she did want.

"I wanted to ask you if you had… anybody."

"Come again."

"I, I was…" The woman sighed. "I'm 25 years old, and most women my age have been long married and have families."

"Do you usually approach every man who comes down the road?"

"No, of course not, but, I'm getting kind of lonely. I'm not about to take anyone who comes along, but I can't just let someone go by without at least saying 'hi'."

"Don't think too much of this, but that sounds to me like you're starting to get desperate."

"You're not far off, I am desperate. After four years of subtle hints not getting me anywhere, I had to resort to clubbing guys over the head."

Shadow thought about it, that was the exact same problem Bunnie had; the rabbit always had problems being open about her feelings for him, especially when Rouge came along. It eventually got to the point where Bunnie was taking drastic measures to get Shadow's eye, in particular a skimpy swimsuit that she hoped would have Shadow ogling over her, but even that didn't work.

"Yeah, guys are pretty stupid."

"So, do you have anyone?"

"Yes, I do."

"You planning on getting married anytime soon?"

"I guess, as soon as I figure out which one."

Sandy looked at Shadow. "Which one? Are you saying you've got more than… Do you mean those two girls in the picture book?"

"Rouge and Bunnie, they're competing for my attention, but the three of us are pretty close; so it's probably better to not spoil it with something as silly as marriage."

"And how can you love someone without marriage?"

"Marriage is a technicality, love cares not for such things."

"You have the heart of a poet."

"I have my moments."

"Oh, if only you could've come into my life so many years ago."

Shadow considered that, a few years ago would not have been the best time to have known the black hedgehog.

"So, are there any good men in Mobotropolis that might be interested in a 25-year-old school teacher?"

"I'm sure there are some."

"Mobotropolis, land of opportunity, where even a silly teacher can find true love."

Shadow was enjoying the talk with the teacher, the first person he could sit down with and talk since he came here. Sandy was different, most of the people lived very specific lives of a quaint pattern, although many knew of tragedy since the dragons came, that was an aberration of the norm. Before that, most people lived their lives pretty much the same, mining, getting married around 20 and having a family, everybody living as one close-knit family. Shadow was a foreigner, a bachelor in his late twenties, a definite anomaly; but so was Sandy, she was also unwed at 25, in a way, she was closer to Shadow than even Veder's darkness was.

They talked for the rest of the evening until nightfall, when even the cooking crew had finished all their duties for the day and was ready to go home.

"Oh my, I had no idea how late it is. Where are you staying?"

Shadow had completely forgot about where he'd be spending the night. "I don't know, I forgot to look into that."

"You can stay at my house."

Shadow was a little apprehensive about that, Sandy was getting just a little too close a little earlier, and he thought that maybe she was putting the moves on him again. "I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Why not?"

Trying to come up with a reasonable excuse, Shadow thought back to Rouge and Bunnie's parting words.

"Let's just say that I'm not a big fan of being disemboweled."

* * *

One of the men that Glen introduced Shadow to upon his arrival made arrangements for Shadow to spend the night in Nosadire. It was only now that Shadow realized that he left his toothbrush and other toiletries back in Lalberdean. It was too late to get a toothbrush, but he was able to borrow some mouthwash from his host; at least he'd have fresh breath in bed.

After leaving the bathroom, Shadow went to the small room and the small bed, and laid down. Before falling asleep, he reconsidered Sandy's offer, and wondered weither or not it was sincere or if it was another act of desperation.

He wondered what would've happened, perhaps they could've sat in front of the fireplace and talked well into the night, sipping wine or whatever she had. After that, they'd see each other off for the night, perhaps ending with a kiss for the sake of it, or perhaps she'd want a bit more. It was possible that she might invite him into bed with her, she was lonely, and wanted the feeling of a warm body in bed with her; or her deeply buried passion might want him to make love to her, to seduce her and make her the woman she longs to be. Or maybe this was just Shadow's own loneliness that was playing tricks with his mind.

Shadow was now regretting giving he the brush off and wanted to go to her place and possibly salvage the night that could have been, but unless she really wanted the most intimate option, that would seem very silly. He wondered what Rouge and Bunnie would really think of him if he did, afterall the two girls had accepted each other; but was it possible that Shadow wanted Sandy as nothing more than a substitute for his two loves.

All these thoughts seemed pretty pointless now, it served nothing other than to keep him awake and restless. Shadow tried to put them out of his mind and get some sleep.

* * *

Day 13

The next morning, Shadow got up pretty early. The plan for the day was to get some breakfast and make his way back to Lalberdean.

After cleaning up and another gargle of mouthwash, Shadow made his way to the town hall and got in the line for breakfast. A few minutes later, the hedgehog was sitting down with a tray of food. Some of the villagers passed by to say hello, but only one stopped to talk.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?"

Shadow looked across the table. "Good morning, Sandy. I had a fair night. Care to join me?"

"No I have to get ready for the children's lessons for today. I should've done that last night."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize, I enjoyed talking with you yesterday. I wish you could stay a bit longer, you're one of the few people I could sit down and talk with." Sandy hesitated a bit, unable to build up enough nerve to say anything else.

"I'm leaving in a few hours, but I'm sure I'll come back this way before I go home."

"Oh yeah, that'd be nice. I have to go."

Sandy walked away rather briskly, leaving Shadow to wonder if his decision yesterday was an even bigger mistake than he thought.

* * *

Shadow sat down with some of the older men he met yesterday who were playing cards after everyone else had left the hall. Like yesterday, the only other people in the hall aside from the staff was Sandy and her class.

The hedgehog sat in for a few hands before he headed out, but his real reason was just to see Sandy for as long as possible. Even though the older gentlemen could see it in Shadow's eyes, they said nothing about it.

After a while Sandy concluded her first class with the children and gave them a five-minute break before the next class started. As the cat was rearranging her papers and cleaned the black board, Shadow decided to take one last opportunity to say goodbye.

Slowly Shadow walked over towards the class, going a little wide to go around the kids and come up behind Sandy instead of going right through the children. Just as he got close, Sandy looked over to see him approach.

Shadow opened his mouth, but before any words could dribble out, the quiet was cut off by the ringing of a bell outside.

"Dragons!"

* * *

Shadow heard the call and ran outside. Up in the sky, Shadow could make out the fiends that were approaching in the distance; and as they got closer, Shadow could easily make out one difference between these dragons and the ones in Lalberdean.

There were dozens of them.

To be continued


	32. Chapter 8: Burn Away the Darkness

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 8: Burn Away the Darkness**_

Descending on the town like vultures over a rotting carcass in the desert, the dragons circled and dropped onto the small town; at least 20 or 30 of them, everyone one them looked as mean and vile as the last. The people scattered and armed themselves in similar fashion to Lalberdean.

Shadow raced into the house where he was staying to retrieve his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder and returning to the battle; he jumped onto a house to give himself a clear shot at the oncoming wave.

The guard posts around the village took aim at the swarm and fired their steel bolts into the air. The long spears had little effect as most missed the mark, but a couple did land; one of which hit a dragon square on and caused it a lot of pain, enough to cause it to fall out of formation and retreat. Putting one dragon out of action was a start, but there were plenty more where that came from.

The first few dragons came down on the guard towers, firing their flame breath and clawing at the structures. A few more dragons spread around to attack the rest of the towers, and the rest went into the town. Now that the dragons were closing in, Shadow stepped forward and charged up.

"Chaos Spear!"

The energy bolt flew through the air causing a few dragons to scatter to avoid it.

"Chaos Spear!"

Another bolt flew through the air, and again a clump of dragons dispersed to avoid.

"Chaos Spear!"

Shadow fired at another group of dragons. Now the beasts were getting angry and focusing intently on the black menace, half the beasts now charged the hedgehog. Shadow waited for them to close in; as long as they centered on him, the rest of the village had far less to worry about. And Shadow had one little surprise for them; when the dragons came within firing range, Shadow let them have it.

"Chaos Blossom!"

Shadow's form charged in a bright white glare and unleashed the barrage on the incoming monsters. The dragons couldn't avoid, they were too close and flying too fast to avoid the fireworks. All but two of the demons were struck head on by the savage attack and fell to the ground in shock.

Around the village, some of the villagers moved in on the downed reptiles, trying to snare them in chains and steel cable nets. The rest of the dragons circled around to give them some time to recover, which didn't take long. After a minute, most of them had snapped out of it and were ready to continue.

Shadow continued to attack using the Chaos Spear and the odd Chaos Blossom, but the dragons had learned to keep some distance from the hedgehog. The flying giants withdrew a bit to reconsider their options.

After a moment to regroup, the dragons came back. This time, a few of the dragons charged Shadow directly while the rest targeted the village, keeping well away from the visitor from Mobotropolis.

Shadow continued to fire his Chaos Spear at the ones that were hustling him, and occasionally fired one or two wide to try and pick off some of the dragons that were attacking the rest of the town. When Shadow noticed some of the dragons bunching up in one area, he raced over and unleashed the Chaos Blossom, hoping to send them to the ground. The dragons now knew to avoid the little furball, but he moved so fast that by the time they saw him, it was too late. This plan seemed to work, but Shadow knew that his power was limited to the Power Rings in his backpack; the dragons weren't really being hurt by Shadow's attacks, and if they didn't tire out soon, his supply would.

The dragons pressed the assault, every time Shadow wiped out a group, more would come in to give cover fire until they recovered, not letting the villagers any chance to do any permanent damage to their downed comrades.

"This is getting stupid. Can't these dragons take a hint?"

Shadow looked behind him and saw two of the beasts coming up behind him. Before they could fire, Shadow made a break for it. The two attackers never saw Shadow, nor did they see him come up from behind.

"Chaos Spear!"

Shadow downed one of the two with a strike that hit the beast right between the wings. The other turned to face him, and got another bolt right in the chest.

"Stay down, dammit!"

Two more dragons came from the side breathing flames at the warrior. Shadow ran again, leaping from rooftop to rooftop to escape. The dragons spread out a bit and attacked Shadow again, this time from different angles, hoping to catch the hedgehog in the crossfire.

Shadow ran down the slope of the roof and dropped to the ground below, the dragons and their fire flew right over his head just missing him as the massive cloud of blazing orange flooded the sky.

Shadow watched as the dragons flew past, leaving a burning trail behind them.

RRRRRROOOAAARRRRRR!!!

Shadow looked up to see a renewed swath of bright orange in the air piercing the smoky residue, and dropping down on top of him. The heat was intense, and the searing light enveloped him. Covering his face from the onslaught, Shadow ran in whatever direction blindly to get out of the fire. Stumbling around after he got out of the heat, he swatted at his clothes and fur to brush out any embers that were sticking and burning him.

The dragon swooped down behind the hedgehog and fired again, Shadow was bathed in another flaming shower, the hot air pushing him from behind like a violent wind. Shadow was a fireball by the time he got out of the jet.

Shadow could feel the heat burning at his skin, and hit the ground rolling, trying to extinguish the flame in the dirt, something that was not easy with the added weight of the backpack full of Power Rings. The hedgehog was almost clear of the latest fiery sprites when the dragon charged behind him with its claws outstretched; Shadow didn't see it when the beast swiped at him, shredding his backpack, scattering his Power Rings all over the place, and throwing Shadow to the ground several meters away.

He was now in pain, tired and hurt, Shadow lurched to one side as he tried to get to his feet. Shadow got up and saw the dragon standing just down the street, it's fierce eyes locked on him with a glare of hate. It was that dragon, the one Shadow assaulted back in Lalberdean, complete with the same red and orange scales, and the row of short horns on the back of his head.

"Hi Red; let me guess, you came for a rematch."

The dragon stood there, hissing and breathing deeply. Shadow could see that the beast wasn't interested in conversation, or trying to arbitrate the current situation. The red dragon pulled back and arched its back, taking in a huge breath. Shadow knew what was coming next, and launched his phase run when the enormous red flume came straight for him.

Shadow stopped behind a house to give himself a bit of cover and to reassess his situation. No backpack means no Power Rings, no Power Rings means no Chaos Spear, no Chaos Spear means barbecued hedgehog. Shadow didn't like that option, but there was little else to do with…

Shadow's attention turned to his right where another dragon came around the corner of the building and spotted him.

"Oh crap!"

Shadow ran for it as another flame jet shot past the place where he stood.

The red dragon was still searching for the black hedgehog, and found him when the other dragon drew him out of his hiding spot. The beast flew into the air and chased after Shadow from the air.

Shadow ran through the streets, trying to stay ahead of the two dragons that were chasing him. He really didn't consider where he was going; he thought that he could at least draw these two dragons away, and maybe take some of the heat off the villagers. Ultimately, the only thing he was focused on was saving his own butt. Shadow didn't care about the town, he didn't care about anyone in it, he didn't care if the fate of the whole world was at stake, all Shadow wanted was to get away.

Racing down the street, Shadow turned into a house; he figured it would give him cover for a moment to catch his breath and think of a plan. The dragons saw him go in and surrounded the building, circling it from above. From their height, the beasts bombed the house with their breath; the flames couldn't penetrate the stone, but it smashed windows and burned doors, filling into the outside rooms.

Shadow ran to the center of the house, hoping to avoid the flames when he heard the dragons switching tactics and bashing the walls of the house. At the same time, he heard a faint cry, a scream from downstairs; there were people hiding in the house, and Shadow led the dragons right to them.

In a bit of grief and stupid heroism, Shadow ran out into a room just as the not red dragon flew past. Shadow charged through the broken window and leapt onto the dragon's head and on top of the next house. A roar from the reptilian creature signaled to the red dragon that their target was moving again. The two dragons left the house and chased their quarry. The two dragons left the house in its singed state and followed the black blur from rooftop to rooftop.

While running away, Shadow paid little attention to the state of the village other than to watch where he was stepping, but it was quite obvious that Nosadire was not faring well. Many of the houses had been scorched like the one he just came from, and several had large chunks ripped out of their walls or roofs. Also of note, were the locations of any nearby dragons, a large batch of which were seen just before Shadow, tearing up a few of the houses.

The two dragons coming up behind called out to the large group in front of them, and a few of them raised their heads to see the hedgehog heading their way. Shadow's mind went into overdrive to devise a plan; he didn't want more dragons on his tail, but if he charged the large group, perhaps he could escape in the confusion. With the rather simple plan in mind, Shadow charged forward.

The nearest dragons launched jets of flame at Shadow, and the two following him added their attacks to create one massive incendiary bomb. Shadow ran as fast as he could and just barely escaped the incineration, and ran between the two dragons in front of him.

The two dragons he just passed tried to fly up and turn around, while the two chasing him almost crashed into them. After a brief exchange of roars, the dragons flew up to relocate the hedgehog.

Shadow was running back and forth between several of the houses that were in various stages of destruction by the other dragons around. He received several howls from the monsters as he ran past, but few bothered to pay him any mind as they were more focused on demolishing the village.

The four dragons that tried to fry him were looking around for him, trying to put the pest to an end, trying to pinpoint his location by the cries of their comrades.

Shadow kept bouncing back and forth between the houses to confuse the dragons in a life or death game of 3-card Monty. When he was pretty certain that none of the dragons knew where he was, Shadow darted out through a window and made his way back where he came.

Although none of the dragons was able to follow all of Shadow's movements, one of them spotted the hedgehog on his way out, and roared loudly as he made his escape. The red dragon looked over to see what the other dragon was caterwauling about, and saw Shadow racing away. With a cry, the red dragon flapped its wings to bring it into the air, and the other three dragons followed suit.

Shadow made his way to the place where he lost his backpack; although there was nothing left of it, he found the Power Rings scattered on the ground. Before the dragons could reach him, Shadow ran around and picked up a bunch of the Rings before standing his ground.

As the dragons approached, Shadow summoned all the energy he could from the golden rings, drawing sparks of energy to flow from the rings into his body.

"Chaos Blossom!"

A shower of lightning bolts flew out towards the dragons, multiple copies of Shadow's trademark Chaos Spear. The four dragons chasing him found themselves with no room to maneuver, and in direct line of fire of the phalanx; none were missed, and all were brought to the ground in shock. After a minute, the dragons recovered and looked to the spot to find the hedgehog, but Shadow was long gone.

* * *

Off in the distance, outside Nosadire, Shadow had taken up a hiding spot in a crack in the mountainside; if any dragon had flown by and spotted him, the gap in the rock face would have made a lovely oven, but Shadow was too tired to try and find any other spot.

It was only now that the pain really hit hard. In the heat of battle there is no time for pain, exhaustion, or fear; it's when you rest afterwards that all those things come back in full force. Shadow's muscles were sore from the exercise in the cold weather, his flesh was crawling from the blisters cooked up by the searing flame, and his back was aching from the powerful slashing claws of the red dragon. The pain was excruciating, but it was nothing compared to the fear. Shadow was lost in panic, his mind racing with images of the dragons dancing around him, blasting him with large flumes of fire, swatting at him with massive claws and gnashing with huge teeth.

The refugee rested against the wall, gasping hard, but trying to control both it and his racing heartbeat in a desperate attempt to make as little noise as possible. It was not as if he needed to be real quiet, the noise outside was deafening: the roar of the dragons, the cackling of flames, the screams from the villagers, the destruction, the chaos. The noise was loud, and it was scary.

* * *

Shadow remained hidden for some time; when things calmed down outside, he figured it was time to emerge from his hole. He slowly crept out of the crevice, keeping an eye out in case any of the dragons were left behind. Content that he was alone, Shadow painfully walked out into the open.

Shadow was born in the endless darkness of the void, he had been in battles that destroyed a large chunk of floating rock, he faced a mechanical nightmare, and he criss-crossed time and space to challenge a vaporous enemy; but never before had he been in Hell.

The entire village was reduced to slabs of steaming rock, and anything flammable was going up in smoke. Shadow walked through the village, unbelieving the destruction that was at his feet. He couldn't even think that he was the only one to survive, he had to find someone else.

"Hello?! Anybody?! Sandy?!"

The first place he went was the house he first sought refuge in, the one he led the dragons to, the one that was occupied during the invasion. He knew that hope was faint, but he had to know. When he got there, or at least the location he thought the house was, he found nothing but a pile of stone. The rock was charred and singed, with bits of burning ash from the doors and the contents illuminating some of the blackness. The house was gone, and there were no voices screaming from below.

After the house, he made for the mess hall, Sandy and the children, as well as the seniors were there when the dragons came, so if they were anywhere, they were likely still there. When he got there, the whole building was torn open like Milon's big rig was. Inside the massive gap, the tables were torn apart and smashed, and in the back the kitchen was equally trashed with cooking pots and ingredients spilled around like a tornado ripped through the place.

Shadow looked around for any signs of life, but he found none. There were only a few bodies to be found in the dining area; one of the old men was burnt to a cinder and totally unrecognizable, one of the children was near the middle of the room and was nothing more than a couple of limbs and a smear on the floor. There were spots of blood splattered here and there, but there were few signs of other people.

Where was everybody else? Did they run away when the dragons ripped open the building, only to die somewhere else? Or did the dragons take the irony of the building and eat them right here and now?

* * *

Shadow spent almost four hours searching the rubble for any survivors, totally ignorant of how hungry and tired he was getting, he just kept looking. All around was chaos and death, rubble and cinders were all that was left; and not a soul alive as far as could be seen. For everything that looked like a person, Shadow checked, saddened each time that it turned out to be nothing more than another charred corpse. Only a fraction of the people were found intact, most had been ripped to pieces, or eaten by the attackers.

Shadow didn't stop for a beat, no matter how hopeless it got. As he lightly stepped past another ravaged body, Shadow reached down to find something that was only half burned. He picked up a charred book, the photo album that he brought with him. He opened the piece of the book that was still complete and sifted through the pages. Inside, were pictures, some whole, but many singed or half burned, others seemed to discolor and melt in the heat. There, faces of people who had so much faith in him, people he loved, people he didn't fail. But that was no more, he had failed this town, and he had failed to live up to what his friends in Mobotropolis had relied upon so many months ago.

His hands faltered, the half of the book slowly slid from his fingers, and tumbled to the ground.

To be continued


	33. Chapter 9: Lost Hopes and Dreams

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 9: Lost Hopes and Dreams**_

Day 14

Shadow remained overnight in the burnt out village just in case any survivors would be found; sadly there were none.

In the morning, Shadow made one quick desperate once over the village, but nothing. Finally convinced that everyone was surely dead, Shadow found some food to have for breakfast, then walked to the outside of the ruins. After taking one last look back, Shadow turned his back on the ruins, then ran towards Lalberdean.

In his weakened state Shadow wasn't able to get up to full speed, his whole body was real sore, and his skin still burned despite the cold air. Only getting up to half speed, Shadow winced in pain with every step; the first few were so bad that Shadow needed to stop after only a few seconds travel. Shadow couldn't just stand around, and walked down the road for a few steps before trying to run again. This time he managed to get out of sight of Nosadire before falling back to a walk. After a few more false starts and spots of walking, Shadow was finally able to get a constant run going and hit the road back to Lalberdean.

* * *

Along the way, Shadow needed several stops, unable to keep running for more than a few minutes. Each time he stopped his muscles ached in retaliation, Shadow kept walking to shake off the pain before trying to run again.

After more than a dozen stops and almost two hours, Shadow was finally able to see his goal.

* * *

When Shadow finally got inside the town limits, there was no one to greet him, or help him. He walked in past the first house before anyone noticed him. One of the guards was making rounds through the roads when he saw Shadow and ran up to him.

"Help! Help!"

The guard tried to help Shadow walk into town while other people in the area heard the call and came to see what was happening. Amongst them was the mercenary rat.

"Looks like someone had a party and didn't invite me."

* * *

Shadow was brought back to the Sancot's house to his room where Karma was looking over him. The first thing that mother bear did was to wash and bandage Shadow's back; three long diagonal strikes would be an eternal reminder of his battle in Nosadire. Shadow was in pain, but it could have been a lot worse were it not for the large backpack that sacrificed itself to protect its owner. After the bandaging she cleaned up his fur, trimming away the burnt strands. After the treatment his jet black and red stroked fur looked cleaner and better than it ever did, but the shorter spines were not to Shadow's liking; it would take a few months for the longest to grow back to full size, but Shadow would just have to live with it.

After Shadow was cleaned up, it was close to dinnertime. Karma fetched some supplies from the mess hall and prepared the meal in her kitchen, while Marcy watched over him.

"What happened?"

"There were too many of them; 20, 30, maybe more. I could take down a few of them, but others would come and back them up until they recovered. Then a few of them focused on me; I tried to keep them away, but one of them got the drop on me. That's how I ended up like this."

"Does it still hurt?"

"I feel really sore, all over, but I'll live."

"And Nosadire, is it…"

"It's gone, wiped out just like Vannannen was. I couldn't save anybody."

Karma came in bringing dinner. "Marcy, you can go to the hall now."

"Can't I stay and look after Shadow?"

"No Marcy, he needs rest; get Brian and go get dinner at the mess."

With a pout, Marcy left the room.

"Here, eat up."

"Thank you." Shadow was presented with a warm bowl of soup, not hot like normally served, and on the side was some French bread.

"The soup's a bit cold."

"In your condition, you shouldn't have hot soup."

"I wasn't complaining."

* * *

Shadow was alone for the afternoon, Karma wanted him to rest up, but sleep was not something that would take the hedgehog. After lying in bed for more than an hour, Shadow lifted himself out of bed enough to reach the dresser. Opening the top drawer, he clamored around to find his crossword puzzle book and got cracking at it again.

* * *

After supper, which for Shadow was prepared the same way as dinner, Shadow thought himself well enough to come out of his hole, at least enough to get to the Sancot's living room.

This was the first time he saw Yohan since he came back.

"I'm really sorry about this, Shadow."

"You came and brought me into a war zone and it's only now you're regretting it. My body has endured worse than this. Do you remember when I talked about Robotnik and his Roboticizer, you're looking at the only victim of the Roboticizer gun."

Brian was impressed that Shadow had survived the dragon attack. "It takes a lot to stop you, doesn't it?"

Yohan still regretted bring Shadow into their mess. "Still I…"

"Yohan, please, save your regret for the people of Nosadire; that's where my regret is."

* * *

Later that evening, it was time for bed, and Shadow was feeling very tired, but Shadow's sleep was not calm or restful. Deep in his dreams was the nightmare of the devastation of Nosadire, an accursed event in Shadow's life that questioned his very worth.

Wandering around in the burning town, Shadow was surrounded by screams and wails that echoed around him. The road he walked on was only a path of blackness that zigzagged between the flaming rubble, framed on both sides by charred skeletons of every shape and size, twisted in various positions of standing, kneeling, and acrobatic feats not possible for a living and fully fleshed being.

Shadow had no idea where he was going, he just walked down what seemed to be the only path to follow. As he walked, his head kept checking to both sides of the road, seeing the destruction and the dead bodies. None of it really phased him, but it was not because it didn't scare him, it was because Shadow knew that what was down the path would be a million times worse; that kind of directness with dreams was the only thing he liked about them.

As he followed the path, which seemed to go on forever, Shadow finally saw something in the way. Far down a single person was walking on the same road, leading away from Shadow. The hedgehog picked up the pace a bit to catch up. When he got closer, the figure took on a more distinctive shape; walking slowly like there was no reason for going anywhere, the lost person was changing from a shadow to a solid shape, a female with sharp ears and orange fur.

"Sandy!"

Shadow ran to the figure of the cat, but as he approached, the body of the teacher changed color, darkening to a vile black, and twisted in shape, hunching over and collapsing to the ground. When Shadow finally reached her, the sight scared him so much that he was sweating in bucket.

On the ground was a charred mass, folded over like a turtle hiding in an ash shell. Shadow didn't want to move, but he couldn't tell his spiritual body to stand still; instead Shadow stepped up and dared to touch the teacher.

The cinder exploded, blasting a wave of ashen air into Shadow's face, stinging his eyes. Gripping his burning face, Shadow collapsed to his knees.

"Noooooooo!"

* * *

Day 15

Shadow was a totally different person the next day, if he was despondent over the destruction of Nosadire yesterday, he was in total despair today. Two days ago he was beaten, yesterday he was in pain, now he was defeated.

Shadow didn't speak or even look at anyone during breakfast; he walked to the hall, took his tray and food, sat down, and ate without lifting his head. By now, everyone in town had heard about Nosadire, and how Shadow stumbled into town with burns and several gashes in his back. Most of them left him alone, partially because he needed time to recuperate after the disaster, but also because their faith in him was all but erased by his failure. No one was really disappointed; they knew how vicious an army of dragons was, and didn't hold Shadow to blame for being unable to stop them. They were just disappointed that the first real hope they had in months was washed out so soon.

After breakfast, Shadow didn't want to be held up in bed and tried to keep busy by walking around town, walking a beat like a police officer. His back wasn't hurting him as much but it still stung a bit.

* * *

As he walked around, most people gave him space, although a few did offer him a bit of support. There was only one who didn't give him that slack.

"So, the great hero failed."

Shadow looked behind him to see the rat coming up behind him.

"You must be enjoying this."

"I always enjoy ribbing people who are too big for their britches."

"That's about the nicest thing anybody's done since I got back; most ignore me, or pity me."

The taunting that Shadow was getting might have been welcome if it came from anyone else, at least then he'd know the disappointment of the villagers, which would be better than the condescending pity; but it didn't count coming from this jerk.

"Always glad to help."

"Can't you bother someone else."

"But it's fun to taunt you."

"Kicking a guy when he's down?"

"That's not fun, what's fun is planting seeds of doubt. You doubt your abilities so it's fun to push your buttons; I practiced this on a guy by saying he was gay."

"Oh that's a laugh."

"You see, it only works on people who are insecure about themselves; for people who are sure of their sexuality be they straight, gay or whatever, they're not bothered by it and that ain't fun. But those who are unsure of themselves, they don't want to face it, so taunting them really gets on their nerves."

"So I guess I'm ripe for the plucking then?"

"Why, are you gay?"

"Oh, shut up."

Shadow dashed away. Veder smiled, accomplishing his revenge.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Shadow spent it by himself, rarely talking to anyone else. For dinner and supper, he sat with the Sancots and built up the courage to talk with them for at least a few minutes, but never did he mention just what it was that pushed him to the brink like this. They didn't need for him to say, they knew how horrible the nightmares were. Everyone in the mountains knew how terrible and disturbing the nightmares could be; ever since the dragons destroyed Polbal everyone has lived in fear of the dragons' wrath, and there was no safety in their dreams.

* * *

As the supper crowd were leaving the mess, Shadow wasn't paying much attention and was still sitting, ignorant that the table was nearly empty. Karma asked if he was coming or not, but he just waved her off, wanting to be alone for a bit.

As the bear left, her eldest came up and sat down across from Shadow.

"How long are you going to keep moping around like this?"

Shadow looked up at Kirkigard's stern face behind the cup of coffee.

"You can't just hang around here in a stupor, if you're not going to get off your butt and help, then you might as well get lost."

"I hope you're not trying to cheer me up, because you're failing miserably."

"I don't care what you're feeling, and I definitely didn't come here to cheer you up; but this is no place for hiding in your shell. We're in the middle of a war, and if you can't get out of this rut and fight, then you're useless."

Shadow didn't answer, falling into his shell like Kirkigard had said.

"Look, no one here blames you for what happened in Nosadire; the dragons are a menace, and you can't blame yourself for what they did. Now you've got a choice to make, either you can snap out of this, or you can pack your bags."

Kirkigard got up and left Shadow at the table. It was the chewing out that Shadow deserved, but not the one he wanted; Shadow wanted to be blamed for failing, but Kirkigard wasn't giving him the relief he so badly wanted.

* * *

After Shadow finally left the mess hall and returned to the Sancot's house, Karma thought it best to try and keep Shadow's mind off Nosadire with a distraction. For about two hours, Shadow sat down with Yohan, Carmelita, Marcy and Brian, playing cards until the dark hours.

When everyone was getting tired, they concluded the game and got ready for bed. When Shadow was laying down, Karma looked in on him.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Is there anything you want to talk about, anything you want go get off your mind before going to sleep?"

"I've got someone else to talk to."

* * *

That night, Shadow reached out, looking for someone to talk to.

"My, we're not looking well, are we?"

"No, we're… I'm not."

The echidna was concerned, Shadow really did feel different. "What's wrong?"

"I needed to talk to you."

"Is homesickness finally kicking in?"

"I need you to convince me to stay."

Tikal turned her spiritual head. "What happened? It's been three days since we last talked, something went wrong."

"I was in another town, I ran there a few days ago. Anyway, while I was there, the dragons attacked, lots of them, they filled the sky. I tried to fight them off, but there were so many, they circled and overpowered me. After I was beaten, I ran for it and left the town behind. For a few hours, I hid in a crevice licking my wounds while the village was burned to the ground."

"You blame yourself for letting the town be destroyed? Do you really think that you could have stopped the dragons if you didn't run away?"

"Not really, but I feel like I failed everybody, not only in that town, but here as well. Do you know what it's like to have people depending on you?"

Tikal smirked a bit. "Actually, I do now."

Shadow paused to consider that. "The twins?"

"They came out yesterday morning. You should see them, they look beautiful; two lovely little baby girls."

Shadow remembered his little curse that he put on Knuckles and Tikal a few months ago, but decided to save it for their father. It was just what Veder was talking about, Tikal wouldn't be bothered by having twin girls, but Knuckles might. "How is Knuckles doing?"

"He's doing fine."

"How'd he do in the delivery room, or did he stay out?"

"He was there, all 40 kilograms of jelly of him."

Shadow laughed. "What are their names?"

"Juli and Sue. Juli came in the morning after breakfast, Sue decided to wait until the afternoon."

Shadow thought about the timeline, Juli was born at the time of the dragon's attack, and Sue was born after it was over. This was a depressing thought that Shadow thought best left to himself.

Tikal did notice the slight frown creeping onto Shadow's face. "I was hoping that would cheer you up."

"Huh?"

"You were perking up when I mentioned my daughters, but you've turned inside out again. There was something more, wasn't there?"

"No, it was just the destruction."

"There was something else, something that you're not telling me. You're not looking at me anymore."

Shadow quickly turned back the echidna, realizing that she had found him out; sometimes he'd wonder if the power that the Master Emerald gave Tikal opened a wide open door that Tikal could see through, but kept it shut for him to see back. Although her forbidden sight didn't allow her to read minds, Tikal had learned how to read every little mannerism a person had to peer into their soul; and Shadow was an open book.

"There was something else, something that I don't want to talk about."

"Do you really think that you're doing any good keeping this bundled up?"

Shadow hesitated, but he broke down. "Tikal, just don't tell anyone, least of all Rouge and Bunnie."

"Oh, I see. You met someone in this town?"

"Tikal, please."

Tikal grinned, but returned to her serious side. "I won't tell them, but will you?"

"In due time."

"O.K. Only between us."

"There was this girl there, Sandy; she was 25, and lonely."

Tikal noticed that Shadow knew her exact age, a sign that she was very lonely, and wanted companionship. "Were you intimate?"

"No!" Shadow calmed down after realizing that the question was just that, and not an accusation. "I was thinking of Rouge and Bunnie and didn't even try; but before I fell asleep that night, I considered how lonely I was, and that maybe I should have taken her up on her offer to stay with her that night. I don't know how far she wanted to go, or if she was just making an honest offer of a place to sleep, but I definitely thought about… us."

"So, your regret is over this girl."

"Yeah, not only did I turn her down, but I couldn't find her after Nosadire was destroyed."

"Lots of people regret decisions they've made because they'd never have a chance to fix things, to go back and try the other route. You cannot continue to lament this, you'll just have to let her go."

"I let her go, and now she's gone!"

Inside the dreamscape, Shadow placed his face in his hands, and started to cry. Tikal laid a ghostly hand on his back, just above three fiery marks that crossed his back, which she only now just saw. At this time, she thought it best to let Shadow pour out his pent up feelings.

When Shadow had finished, he tilted his head up. "Tikal, what do I do?"

"Shadow, if you have already made up your mind, I'm not going to try and change it; and if you still haven't decided, I won't say anything. Only you can decide what you want to do."

Shadow would have preferred it if Tikal had just told him right up weither he should stay, or to go home.

"If you want to come home, no one will hold it against you; and if you stay, we will wait for your return. Shadow, whatever you do, we all want you to come back, safe and sound."

* * *

Day 16

After breakfast, Shadow was lost in another world; he wandered around before sitting down on a bench, looking up at the towering mountains around him. Like yesterday, no one bothered him until Yohan came along after hearing that Shadow had spent two hours just sitting there.

"Shadow? Are you O.K.?"

Shadow looked up for the first time. "Oh, yeah. Just had a lot on my mind."

Yohan sat down.

"How's your back?"

"It's doing a lot better."

"You've been out here for a while."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Do you want to be left alone?"

"Not really. I've been alone for a while now, wouldn't bother me either way."

Yohan kept silent for a bit, trying to determine what he could say without setting off some deep trigger in the hedgehog.

"I don't know what happened, but you shouldn't blame yourself; to face that many dragons and survive is quite a feat."

Shadow didn't say anything; he really didn't feel like talking about Nosadire.

"I know I've said this before, but I'm sorry that I dragged you into this."

"Don't apologize, I'm the one who should be sorry, Yohan." Shadow paused for a moment before he could gather the words. "I'm going home."

To be continued


	34. Chapter 10: Twice Failed

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 10: Twice Failed**_

Day 17

There were no smiles or large crowds this morning; Shadow had just finished breakfast, and made his way quickly to the outskirts of town.

On the road leading out, Yohan had his truck ready for the trip to Mobotropolis. There was no fanfare, there were no crowds; Shadow wanted to leave as quietly as possible. The only person aside from Yohan was his wife. Karma offered the hedgehog her thanks and gave him a hug. She gave Yohan a hug and kiss before stepping away from the truck.

"You ready?"

Shadow took one look back at the village. "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

Day 19

Two full days passed with nothing happening, there was little to say between the Yohan and Shadow. Shadow sat in the passenger's seat, doing absolutely nothing but looking out at the slowly passing rock. The fallen hero was lost in thought, regrets over what happened and what was lost. Yohan said nothing during the trip, save for asking when Shadow wanted to stop for meals or breaks.

On the third day, just before noon, the truck came through the ruins of Vannannen. Shadow didn't turn his head to look away from the sight, he was just as glazed over as during the last two days of travel. The ruined houses, the burned corpses which were still exposed to the freezing elements, none of it reminded him of Nosadire because he needed no reminder; the memories of the town that was destroyed on his watch while he cowered in a hole were still fresh in his mind.

Yohan didn't want to stop in the town, and drove through it, leaving it well behind before stopping for lunch.

* * *

Day 20

It would not be long before the travelers would be off the mountain. By tomorrow night they would reach the plateau, and the day after they would reach Mobotropolis. Yohan wondered if Shadow was thinking of home, it was almost three weeks since he saw it last, and Yohan remembered how much he longed for home during his journey to get Shadow in the first place. But Shadow thought not of his home; if anything, he would have been more worried of how he would be greeted at home as a failure, and preferred not to even consider it.

* * *

As the truck descended, Shadow continued to gaze out at the nondescript scenery, not breaking his stare, until something caught his attention.

"What is it?"

Shadow looked out, not entirely sure what it was, he wasn't even sure that there was anything; it could have been his mind kicking him in the rear for constantly flooding all the dark memories, and just shaking him out of the stupor.

"Oh, nothing, I thought… nothing."

Shadow went back to his nightmare, ignoring what he thought he didn't see. The truck continued, unaware that Shadow's mind was not playing tricks on him.

Rrrooaaaarrr!

From inside the cab, the muffled scream came through the steel cab.

"O.K. I heard that!"

Shadow and Yohan tried to look through their windows, but the hedgehog could see nothing through the small panes of glass; Yohan looked through the curved mirror bolted to the side of the truck.

"We've got one on our tail."

The beast flew down, and as it passed the truck, blasted it with it's breath, enveloping the vehicle in a bright orange light. When the flames cleared, Shadow and Yohan looked out the front window and saw the huge monster hovering just off the ground in front of them.

"It's him."

Yohan glanced at Shadow. "What?"

"That's the one I took down in Lalberdean, and he came back for me in Nosadire." Shadow stared down the beast down the road. "So you wanted to say 'good bye'."

The red dragon fired at the truck again, blocking the pair's view. They couldn't see where the dragon was, but they knew when they felt the whole truck shake.

"He's trying to tear through the truck."

Shadow gave the evil eye to Yohan. "No duh, Einstein."

In the middle of the truck, dents started to appear inside the metal, long streaks of bent steel marking where the dragon was clawing at the outside. Shadow was gripping his seat while Yohan was reaching behind his for some weapons that were stashed there.

"Here, take this."

Yohan handed Shadow a short sword and a small shield, then retrieved another shield and a large axe for himself.

"You have got to be kidding."

A shriek in the rear rung through the whole vehicle as the red menace bit into the frame and its teeth punctured the skin.

Shadow wasn't keen on staying in the trap. "Abandon sardine can!"

The two passengers flung open the doors and jumped out; Yohan was right next to the beast and charged at it, swinging his axe like a madman and planting it near the dragon's left shoulder. Shadow was on the other side of the truck and raced around the rear; while the dragon turned its attention to Yohan, he tried to stab the beast in the front right leg.

The monster wailed, then reared up away from the truck, forcing Yohan and Shadow to back off.

"Hey Yohan, what's the plan for two men against a dragon?"

"Watch the flames and the claws, stay defensive, and hope that it gets bored and leaves."

"For crying out loud, we're not the penalty killers of a hockey team!"

The red dragon inhaled deeply, a sure sign of attack.

"Run for it!"

Yohan didn't need to be told, he had been fighting these beasts for months. Shadow scurried away while Yohan ran behind the truck. The flames blasted the side of the truck and Yohan cowered behind his shield to block the flames that came around the front of the truck.

With its main quandary temporarily out of sight, the dragon focused on the bear hiding behind the truck. The dragon lunged forward with its massive legs and smashed the side of the vehicle, tearing a hole in the side where its teeth had originally punctured it, and shoving the whole rig back into Yohan. The bear fell to the ground, having the wind knocked out of him from the huge block of steel. He looked up to see the dragon looking at him over the cab of the truck. Yohan scampered to grab his axe before the dragon could attack his defenseless position. The red beast was about to punish the miner for his insolence, but Shadow would have nothing of it; the hedgehog ran up to the other side and threw his shield into the air, smacking the reptile on the side of its face.

RRROOAAAARR!!

"C'mon Red, I'm the one you want!"

The dragon turned away from Yohan and charged Shadow, firing a blast of its flame at the hedgehog. Yohan jumped to his feet and ran around the truck, looking for an opening. Shadow leapt to avoid the swinging claws of the dragon, and ran in to swipe at his opponent. The dragon trampled on the ground, trying to stomp the hedgehog that was dancing around its feet, all the while getting a series of nicks and scratches as Shadow whittled away with his sword. For a moment, the dragon lost sight of Shadow; it checked its feet to see it if had succeeded in squashing the pest out of existence.

"Hi, you miss me?"

The dragon was eye-to-eye with the pest who was sitting on his head; not liking its passenger, it shook its head to try and knock Shadow off. With little place to grab, Shadow slid off and rolled onto the large neck where he clamped down; he tried to swing his sword to cut into the beast's neck, but he was using most of his strength just holding on. With Shadow on the back of the dragon's neck trying to cut into it's thick flesh, Yohan came around back to see if he could do some damage to one of its hind legs. The dragon, of course, did not like having two little gnats chewing little bite marks in its perfect scales. All the shaking was unable to dislodge the hedgehog on its neck, and a swipe from its tail flew just over the bear's head. Yohan came and landed a blow to the left hind leg, that was the last straw. In an act of speed that wasn't thought possible for such a large creature, the dragon kicked its foot right into Yohan. The bear was thrown back almost twice the length of the mighty creature.

"Yohan!"

There was no response, Yohan laid on the ground, not moving. Shadow wasn't paying much attention, and with one good spine-cracking snap, the dragon threw him off.

Shadow took a look at his weapon. {This ain't doing squat.}

Shadow looked around and noticed the truck; a huge gash was cut out of one side, and in the hole, Shadow saw his trunk full of Power Rings. Running under the beast, Shadow hoped that he went unseen so that he could get his Rings without interruption. Racing at top speed, Shadow got into the truck, seemingly unnoticed by the dragon. He fumbled with the clasp, which in the urgency seemed to stick just to spite its owner. In a fit of rage, Shadow took his sword to the box and smashed the lock, almost bashing the lid to splinters on the way. The noise was enough to draw the dragon to the truck. Shadow grabbed as many Rings as he could before the dragon came to the opening, and stuffed them in his pockets. He turned to see the dragon looking right at him through the opening, just a few feet from the truck.

RRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!

Before the dragon could turn the inside of the truck into an oven, Shadow charged out at full power, running right under the dragon. As he passed under the chest, Shadow gave the dragon a little present, his sword, lodged right in the dead center of its target, right down to the hilt. The dragon lurched in pain with the weapon strike, and Shadow ran over to check on Yohan.

"Yohan! Yohan!"

Shadow knelt over his host and saw several huge gashes in his front, claw marks similar to the ones now on the hedgehog's back, only a lot deeper. He lifted the bear's head, hoping that Yohan might have some little bit of life left, a few last words to pass on, but nothing, he was gone.

Shadow turned his attention back to the monster that had recovered from the blow Shadow had dealt. The sword was planted straight in the dragon's chest, but the beast was so large, that the whole length of the blade was insufficient to get any penetration.

The two stared each other down.

"You damn monster, I'm gonna make you pay for this, for everything!"

The two tensed up in preparation for the battle to come; the dragon clawed into the ground, and Shadow's body glowed with the Chaos Control. The dragon let out a huge roar, and Shadow screamed at the top of his lungs.

Shadow charged straight for the dragon, and the beast fired a jet of flames at the hedgehog, who charged right through it and jumped up to the dragon's head, giving it a kick right between the eyes. Shadow glided through the air to the dragon's left, and was met with a swipe from the front leg as he landed; Shadow ran off, just missing the claw.

The dragon leapt into the air, flying behind Shadow as he sped off, firing flumes of fire at the ground. Shadow zigzagged left and right, then turned around and charged at the dragon; he jumped up and started launching punches and kicks at random points over the dragon's body. When he reached the tail end, the dragon swatted at him, and knocked the hedgehog to the ground with his massive tail. Shadow contorted in the air to land on his feet and get moving before the dragon could capitalize on its hit.

Shadow ran off, and the dragon followed. Shadow led the dragon into a wider part of the road, and made a sharp turn to the mountain on one side. The dragon stalled in the air as Shadow made the sharp right turn, and was unable to match. Shadow ran around the right side of the dragon and behind it. Before the dragon could turn around, Shadow jumped up and gave a strike on the dragon's hind side. The dragon wailed and tried to turn around, but by the time it did, Shadow had run around to the other side and gave the beast another kick from behind.

Shadow's whipping post was not liking this one bit, and with a few great flaps of its wings, flew high into the air. Shadow stopped to see what was coming next, or if the dragon had enough, which he highly doubted.

The red dragon swung around and came down, following the slope of the mountains towards Shadow, breathing a huge swath of flame along the rock. The hedgehog got out of the way as the blaze cut a path down the mountain, across the road, and up the other side. High in the sky, the dragon turned around to locate its target. Shadow was standing in the middle of the road, looking up, waiting for the dragon to make its next move. The dragon descended again, aiming for Shadow, blasting another wide band of flame across the valley.

Shadow ran to one side to avoid the new attack, but instead of letting the dragon go so easily, he ran up the side of the mountain, following it. When he got close, he attacked.

"Chaos Spear!"

The lightning strike hit the dragon broadside, brining it down to the mountainside. But it didn't stay for long, the dragon quickly recovered and got back in the air, leaving Shadow at the tip of the small peak. The beast turned around and came back at Shadow.

RRRROOOAAARRRRR!!!

The dragon came down, but didn't bother with its flame, realizing that it only created a screen for Shadow to run away unseen. Shadow ran down the rock as the dragon gave chase, trying to eat the little pest raw. Shadow jilted to one side and the dragon flew past. The dragon didn't take long to turn around and flew back at the hedgehog.

Shadow jumped to one side, avoiding the creature's massive jaw before running in the opposite direction. The dragon turned and resumed the chase. As Shadow ran along the side, he hit a patch of loose dirt and slid to the ground. Shadow glanced back to see the huge monster locked onto him, it's vicious teeth ready to tear into his flesh. The hedgehog rolled down the mountainside, trying to get out of the way.

The dragon flew past, but instead of trying to catch the rolling furball in its teeth, it cut into the mountain with its huge claws, bringing down a small rockslide on top of Shadow, dragging him to the road below. Shadow was knocked to the ground, a bit dazed and confused, his clothes were torn and tattered, and new bruises joined the large scars on his back. The dragon came up to finish him off.

Shadow looked up from his fallen position to see the massive predator lurching above him, slowly moving into position as if to see if Shadow was down, or if he would try anything. The hedgehog wondered why the dragon wasn't trying to catch him while he was down, why he was hesitating. His answer came blasting down on him like an airborne earthquake when a low rumbling emerged from the dragon's mouth.

"Now you die!"

Shadow was startled that the dragon could talk; up until now all he heard where roars and screams. But he was still attentive enough to realize that Red was about to flame broil him. Shadow jumped from the rubble and ran to one side to avoid the dragon's wrath.

"If you can talk, then tell me why you're doing this?!"

The dragon didn't respond, instead it attacked, forcing Shadow to flee again.

"You wipe out whole towns, kill hundreds of people! Why?!"

The dragon roared before firing again at the hedgehog. Shadow ran to one side as usual to avoid. With no safe spot in sight, Shadow realized that the only place to go to get out of the dragon's attack was on the dragon itself.

The hedgehog ran around the beast to distract it, and when it lost sight of him, Shadow ran up one of the legs and right onto the dragon's back. The dragon shook a bit to try and throw Shadow off, but he had grabbed onto the right wing and had no intention of letting go. Flapping its wings in the air, the dragon tried to loosen Shadow's grip, but the motions were too slow to shake him off. A roar and a few flaps later, the dragon took to the air. The dragon flew quickly through the air, hoping the wind might blow the little black pest off and to a gravity induced conclusion. Shadow clung onto the right wing of the beast, trying to resist the wind and the constant bucking of the dragon. As he struggled to maintain his grip, Shadow tried to find anything to grapple with his left hand, but there was nothing but tightly packed scales with no gaps or open edges to grip.

Desperate, Shadow scratched at the glassy pieces, hoping to tear some hole. The tightly packed pieces wouldn't separate; but as his hands beat on them, something sparked from the surface. Shadow felt it, the sharp sting of energy. Placing his hand flat on the dragon's back, Shadow could feel the power that flowed not though the beast, but through its scales. As a test, Shadow tried to summon that power into himself; sparks of pure energy danced between the patterned surface and his fingers.

RRRROOOAAARRR!!!

"Don't like that, do you?"

With a vile grimace on his face, Shadow drew on the power of the Master Emerald, absorbing the power from the red dragon's scales. Large shocks of energy ripped across the red plate flesh and encircling Shadow's form.

RRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!

The dragon screamed in pain, a terrible pain as Shadow drained all the energy he could. The attack was weakening the monster, and it had trouble staying in the air; its wings flagged in the wind, and its body went limp. The dragon and the hedgehog came down like a ton of bricks, dropping for several seconds straight down until the mammoth creature slammed into the rock. The double menace slid down the slope towards the road, breaking off large chunks of stone and raising an immense cloud of dust. Shadow covered his face as he rode the dragon down the slide, blocking the particulate from his nose and eyes. The dragon hit the flat road with a THUD and Shadow fell off the red one's back, rolling off as a furry black ball.

Shadow covered his head while he sat on the ground beneath the fallen beast as the last little bits of crumbling rock fell on him. Once clear, Shadow stood up, his body shone with an electric aura from the energy he absorbed. The red dragon didn't move, it didn't whine in pain, or fidget in discomfort. Shadow walked down the length of the beast, it's left wing was torn apart, and a huge gash was in the left side, dripping with blood and leaving a large pool on the ground. Shadow looked up at the head, like it's body, the left side of the beast's head was ravaged and bloodied.

Content that his opponent was no more, Shadow walked past the truck; the vehicle had gone its last mile, as did its driver. Shadow stood over the body of the one who invited him to the mountains and put him through all this chaos.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Shadow was laying the last stone on a funeral mound; he finished it off by placing a large stone at the head.

"I'm sorry I failed you, Yohan, Sandy. But I won't fail anyone else."

Shadow stepped up to the tombstone, then summoned the Chaos Control to his right index finger; thrusting it into the rock, Shadow cut out a message in the stone. When it was done, Shadow stepped back to admire his work; even though the lettering was horrible, the message was clear.

YOHAN SANCOT  
HE DIED WITH HONOR

Shadow left the gave and went to the truck. In the back was the fuel tank, were the supply of Fyr crystals was stored. Poking through the wreckage, he found the tank and ripped the top off.

The inside of the tank was sectioned into 12 compartments, each filled with crushed Fyr crystals. Since the energy was drained right out of the crystals, instead of the crystals being burned away like a liquid fuel, the expended crystals remained in the tank like a dead battery. To facilitate refueling, the tank was divided so that a single compartment would be exhausted at a time and could be replaced instead of replacing the whole supply and thus losing half discharged crystals. Shadow could see that two of the portions were gone, the crystals inside were black and powdery like charcoal. The next compartment was half charged, the crystals still shined, but they were much darker and dimmer than the other nine.

Shadow reached in and took some of the fresh crystals in his hand, the same sparks fired through the crystals and his hand as Shadow drained the energy right out of them. When it was done, Shadow poured the black dust to the ground. It was starting to come together, the dragon's scales were made of Fyr crystals, and it was an energy source Shadow could use. That explained why his Chaos Spear caused such harm when he hit one of the dragons, but it did no real damage; the attack would disrupt the energy in the scales, but it was ultimately absorbed.

Shadow placed his hands over the exposed tank and pulled all the energy out of the tank into himself. It had been a long time that he felt like this. The Power Rings acted as an energy supply, but they were external; not since he drained the Master Emerald did Shadow have the feeling of energy racing through his veins.

After he was done, a reenergized Shadow left the tank of expended fuel and approached the cab. Reaching in, he pulled out his bag and from it removed the other photo album. Shadow held the book, the precious item that Rouge and Bunnie gave to him before he left.

"I'm sorry, but I can't come home now. Until all is said and done, no more whining, no more complaining, no more homesickness. I will return home when I have set things right, and not before!"

Holding the book, Shadow sent a bolt of energy into it, causing it to explode in flames.

Shadow took one last look at the makeshift grave before he turned away. Facing Lalberdean, Shadow's body charged with energy, as he called the Chaos Control.

* * *

Sometime later, Shadow reached Lalberdean, which gave many people a fright seeing the white rocket firing down the road and right into town.

Shadow stopped, dropping the light and appearing as normal with torn clothing like he appeared a few days ago after Nosadire, but a lot healthier. When someone came up to him and noticed his condition, they immediately thought the worst.

"What happened?"

Shadow looked at him with a stern face. "Where's Carmelita?"

"She's here somewhere. Where's Yohan?"

"I need to see Karma."

The commotion had attracted several people, including the one Shadow was looking for.

"Shadow, what happened to you? Where's Yohan?"

"I'm sorry, we were attacked on the way down."

Shadow didn't have to finish, the bear knew exactly what happened. "No, no it can't be…"

Karma fell to her knees, crying. Shadow tried to wrap his arm around her in a half hug, but even while she was knelt down she was still too large for him to reach around. Some of the other villagers came around and helped Carmelita to her feet, escorting her back to her lonely house. Shadow stood solemnly and watched as the bear was taken away. He wondered if he should follow or leave her be alone for a bit. When he finally decided, he was stopped with a hand on his shoulder.

"What the Hell happened?"

Shadow turned back to see Kirkigard standing there, and he wasn't happy to see the hedgehog again.

"We were attacked, that red dragon had a bone to pick with me and got the drop on us."

"And you let him kill my father?!"

"I didn't let him do anything. I tried to save him, and you cannot fault me for that."

"And what did happen to my father, a meal for that beast, torn to shreds or burnt to a cinder. Did you just leave him behind as a mess on the road?"

"Just on the other side of Vannannen, you'll find a nice little grave. If you want to exhume him and rebury him properly then go ahead. And if you're hungry, there's a dead dragon down there you can harvest too."

Shadow wanted to check up on Carmelita, but Kirkigard wasn't about to let him go that easily.

"You're some bearer of bad news, aren't you. First Nosadire, and now my father."

"I witnessed the destruction of a town, and a man, that I cannot deny, but I won't let it get to me anymore. Nor will I let you get to me."

"Well, it'll be nice to know you can sleep well at night."

"I doubt I'll be doing a lot of sleeping anytime soon."

Shadow started to walk towards the Sancot's house.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check on Karma, then get some proper clothes, and maybe a weapon."

"Aren't you going home?"

"I'm staying."

Kirkigard wasn't impressed. "What's this, the big hero ashamed of running away?"

"I'm going to put an end to this nonsense."

To be continued


	35. Chapter 11: The Hero Returns…

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 11: The Hero Returns, the Darkness Strikes**_

Day 21

Shadow's start to the new day was to check in on Carmelita. Unlike most days, Karma was the last to get up, and was still in her bed clothes when Shadow was awake, cleaned, and dressed. Knowing that she was going through Hell, Shadow helped out with Marcy and Brian, even though they were mostly able to get themselves ready. When Marcy and Brian went to the mess hall, Shadow checked back one more time; Karma was dressed and ready, but she would have preferred to stay at home and lay in bed.

* * *

After breakfast, Shadow knew that fighting the dragons was going to need work and preparation. The first thing he would need was power; he still had some of the juice from draining the Fyr crystals from Yohan's truck, but he'd need more. He wished that he could go back to Vannannen where he left the trunk of Power Rings, but it'd take almost a week for anyone to go and retrieve it, and Shadow couldn't carry something that big by himself. There were two options, drain a supply of Fyr crystals that the miners had, or collect Power Rings from the mountains. At the time, Shadow didn't want to ask for the crystals, he had failed twice already and didn't feel comfortable asking for them.

Shadow spent the morning trolling the mountains around Lalberdean for Power Rings; by lunch hour, Shadow had collected more than 200 of the golden rings, and that was within a one mile radius of the town. He needed more, but it was a start.

* * *

Day 23

The second thing that Shadow needed was a new weapon, something that he could against the dragons; an attacking weapon wasn't really useful as Shadow was too small to wield anything that could do any real damage, so a specialty weapon was in order.

"Hey Mac, where ya hiding?"

From a back room, the blacksmith came out to the front of his shop. "Aye, laddy; what brings ye to me shop?"

"I came looking for a weapon."

"Do ye now."

"Yeah, can you show me what you've got?"

"This way."

* * *

Mac took Shadow into the barn to where the weapons were stored.

"Now, what were ye lookin' for, a sword, axe? I made all of these; I used to only make tools and mining equipment, until the dragons came."

"They look good; you do good work."

Shadow was poking around the weapons, looking for something that was the right size and weight. Shadow picked up a sword, a bit long for him though, and a bit heavy; putting it back, he took another blade, smaller and the proper length and weight for the hedgehog.

"These are nice, what else is here?"

Shadow took another sword, this one much larger than the first; he was about to put it back because it was obviously not for him, but something caught his eye. The sword had an odd shimmer that the first two blades didn't have.

"Mac, this metal, it doesn't look like normal steel, it glitters."

"Aye, some of the weapons are tempered with Fyr crystals; it happens naturally with the work tools from working in the mines, bashin' the rocks with 'em, they get bits of crystal ground in 'em. We found they do more damage when fightin' dragons, so I started grindin' 'em into the steel. But it takes time, I can't do more than a few a day."

Shadow put the sword back; he thought that the crystals infused in the metal would cause more pain to the dragons, but probably no different than his Chaos Spear, causing pain, but no real damage.

"Here now, here's a sword that's about your size, infused with crystals."

Shadow took the sword, a bit smaller than the smallest he'd seen so far, the length of the blade shined with the crystal glitter.

"It's nice, but it's almost too small."

"Well, here's one that's slightly bigger. Oh wait, this one's not tempered. Hang on a sec, I think I've got one here that's a real beaute."

Shadow looked at the blade, then remembered the red dragon with the hilt sticking out of its chest.

"No, no, no, a sword won't do; anything big enough to do harm to a dragon is too big for me to hold. I need something special, like a grappling weapon; if I can grab hold of one, I can do more damage than any piece of steel. Do you have a chain or hook type of weapon?"

"A chain or a hook? We have chains here, wait a second." Mac looked in a box. "Ye can try one of these."

Mackenzie handed Shadow a pickaxe.

Shadow took one of the mining implements, spinning it in his hands. "Maybe."

"I've got something else here, but it's a little big."

"What?"

Mac pulled a long shaft of wood from behind a stack of boxes; a twisted shaft with a strange curl to it, and at one end, a long curved blade.

"Something Father Time dropped off, I'd say."

"A scythe?"

"Ye know this?"

"Yeah, I know someone who works on a farm and has one."

Shadow put the pickaxe down and took the long farming tool. It was definitely too large, almost twice as long as Shadow was tall.

"You're right, it's too big. Can you imagine me going into battle with a tree branch?"

"Ye would look positively ridiculous."

Shadow was balancing the long staff in his hands. "But I do like this, it's evil looking. I'll take this if you don't mind, but if you could make something smaller, perhaps two of them, a left and a right."

"Two?"

"Yeah, a short handle with a smaller blade, maybe a bit thicker." Shadow gripped the larger weapon near the blade to show how he would hold the thing like a hook. "Like this, so if I go one-on-one with one of these lizards, I can dig in with these; with a notch here on the blade so I can hold it here without cutting my fingers off. When I was fighting that red dragon, I was having trouble holding onto him, and he tried to toss me."

"Well, if ye give me a bit of time, I can see what I can do, probably take a week or so."

"How long would it take to reforge this with Fyr crystals?"

"If ye mean temperin', a day or two."

With a stash of Power Rings collected and a new weapon, there was only one thing that Shadow needed: the dragons.

* * *

Day 28

The last week was rough on everybody. Karma was starting to get back to her normal routine, but she always seemed slower and less cheerful. Marcy and Brian were equally saddened, but they tried to act grown-up, if only for their grieving mother's sake. Kirkigard was also distraught over losing his father, but for the sake of the people of Lalberdean, he tried to show a strong face. Even though Yohan wasn't really the leader of the town, everyone treated him as such, and now they were passing the role to Kirkigard.

By now, Shadow had collected a stock of Power Rings that was even larger as the one he came with, scattered in small stocks around the perimeter of Lalberdean; and he was becoming semi-proficient with the long scythe. He was now waiting, waiting for the dragons to come. It didn't matter how many, a couple or a couple dozen, but he wanted them to come soon.

* * *

It was shortly before lunch hour that Shadow got his wish. While everyone was minding their own business, the alarm bells ran through the town. While the rest of the town was in an uproar, Shadow was very calm, and with deliberate steps walked through the streets that were otherwise embroiled in chaos.

Stopping in the road, Shadow looked to the sky, the dragons weren't visible yet, but he could feel them; the Fyr crystals in their scales were calling to him, like a scent of a delicious supper wafting through the air.

* * *

Elsewhere, Kirkigard was directing the flow of traffic as the villagers moved into position, flailing around a large hammer with an oddly shaped head, looking like a giant steel tooth that was impaled on the side with a stick. With people heading in every direction, calling and screaming that blended into an erratic mess of noise, the young bear did what he could to keep order as best as possible. Kirkigard looked up, high in sky was a huge swarm of the beasts, more than he had ever seen at once.

"Everybody to your places!" Kirkigard continued to hand out directions to everyone that passed; in the confusion he noticed one person missing. "Where's Shadow?"

* * *

Up on the mountainside, Shadow was in place; he was there with a stash of Power Rings and the long weapon. Shadow was looking up at the oncoming invasion; it looked just like the group that assailed Nosadire, with one obvious omission. Shadow stood firm, waiting until the beasts were in range. As they approached, he stepped out to the middle of the pile of Rings, then called on the Chaos Control.

The dragons had not seen Shadow on their approach to Lalberdean, and simply flew straight at the town, following the valley, passing right in front of the trap.

"Chaos Blossom!"

A shower of lightning bolts fired right into the flock, striking down several of the winged lizards. Before they could respond, or the casualties could recover, Shadow fired again.

"Chaos Blossom!"

Another barrage of bolts flew through the air. This time the dragons knew it was coming and tried to avoid, but another bunch still fell victim.

"Chaos Blossom!"

"Chaos Blossom!"

"Chaos Blossom!"

Shadow wasn't showing any mercy, or restraint; he was firing his cluster attack repeatedly without break, without care of his Ring supply. Each time, a few more dragons fell to the attack; no where was safe from Shadow's madness. Some of the dragons tried to make a break for Lalberdean, but they were picked off; some tried to attack Shadow directly, but they were picked off; some tried so surround Shadow, but they were picked off. Shadow had no idea how long his supply would last, but he figured it would be gone soon; he didn't care, his whole plan was to cause as much harm in as short a time as possible before taking the fight right to the dragons.

Some of the dragons were taking it hard, crashing into the rock face of the mountains and getting real injuries, unlike the temporary pain that Shadow's hits themselves were doing; those that took the worst of it, had little option but to retreat. Shadow could see that the dragon army was being whittled down, but not by much. As he continued his chain attack, Shadow was opening holes, allowing certain dragons to get closer. Those that were being overly stubborn to not flee while they could, were about to get a real thrashing.

Two dragons had come down on top of him, within fire-blasting range, and within range of Shadow's next assault. Shadow flipped his foot, raising the long twisted wood of the scythe to his hands. The dragons breathed in and regurgitated a wave of heat and light. With his Chaos Control at the ready, Shadow leapt up at the beast in front of him, cutting through the flame like a bullet through air, and coming out right in the dragon's face.

The hedgehog planted one foot right between the dragon's eyes as he ran past, swinging the scythe in a wide arc, sending a jolt of energy into the Fyr crystals in the blade, cutting off the dragon's left horn.

Now that the cutting power of the blade was tested, it was time to go blitzkrieg. Shadow ran down the neck of the monster, swinging the scythe over his head; when he reached the back, he swung it down and cut a slash across the scaly flesh.

RRRRROOOOOAAARRRR!!!

Shadow paid no attention to the pain the dragon felt with the first strike, he was too busy spinning the electrified blade in front of him, tearing more cuts into his opponent with each cycle, blasting sparks all around. When Shadow had reached the tail, the dragon had a row of charred diagonal bloody slices right down its back.

The hedgehog jumped from the dragon towards another one. With one swipe of the blade, Shadow tore a huge hole in the left wing, inciting a painful cry from his second target. From the back of this dragon, Shadow leapt to another dragon that tried to fly away from the oncoming terror, but Shadow swung the scythe around and dug the hook into the underside. Swinging from the lodged blade, Shadow worked his way onto this dragon's back by swinging himself up, then pulling out the weapon and planting it somewhere further up, leaving a painful trail of holes and gouges.

With his Chaos Control and the electrified weapon, the small wraith with its one huge claw danced an aerial ballet of destruction, showing little mercy for its enormous opponents. Each one he touched winced in pain with every slash from the blender. Within minutes of the tormentor's rage, many of the dragons were rendered so badly they could barely stay in the air from the mind-numbing pain. Half of the dragons fled out of pain and anguish, the other half were scared to death and followed suit.

With the attacking force retreating Shadow also withdrew, then turned his attention to Lalberdean. Five of the dragons ignored Shadow and managed to get to Lalberdean during his hands-on onslaught, but now they looked back and saw their backup fleeing the scene; they didn't know exactly what Shadow did to drive off their comrades, but they didn't want to find out. One by one, they realized that they were alone and left the battle.

The villagers didn't see the onslaught either, they were just glad that the dragons were leaving; but they did see that it was Shadow who intercepted the army, and they were glad that the whole force of the dragon fleet didn't land right on top of them. For the second time, they owed Shadow their lives, and the two other failures were all but forgotten.

But Shadow wasn't quite done yet; as the last five dragons were leaving, he wasn't about to let them _all_ go. Looking up, Shadow selected one of the dragons, a straggler with golden yellow scales, coasting in the back of the pack and rather close to the slope. Shadow raced up the mountainside, following the giant serpent, hefting the long weapon behind him across his back. The winged beast didn't even see him, nor did it know just what skill the hedgehog had. When the black specter had finally caught up, Shadow leapt off the rock, aiming for the dragon. Swinging the long fanged weapon, Shadow dropped right into the center of the dragon's back, planting the massive blade into the scaly flesh.

RRROOOOOOAAARRRR!!!!

The dragon lynched in pain as Shadow held himself on top of the creature using the scythe as an anchor. Jittering about, the flying creature tried to shake Shadow off. One quick drop managed to dislodge the hook and Shadow slipped back, but a quick spin reinserted the weapon into the lower back.

RROOAARR!!

"You're not ditching me!"

Shadow climbed up the long handle of the scythe, pushing the blade deeper in, getting a brief whine from the dragon for each inch. As he made his way towards the head, Shadow could feel the Fyr crystals embedded in the scales. Placing his left hand directly on the dragon's back, he summoned the power from them; small sparks leapt from the scales to his palm. 

RRROAAARR!

The dragon bucked up and down to throw the annoyance, but Shadow held fast.

"Didn't like that, did ya?"

Shadow threw all his power at the beast and caused havoc with the energy flowing over the scales, sapping it from it's owner.

RRRRRRROOOOOAAAARRRRRRR!!!!

Losing control, the dragon flew erratic in the sky, barely able to stay aloft; as the pain continued, so did the decent. Just as the dragon was about to hit the rock, Shadow relinquished his grip, giving the dragon just enough power to reach out and skip off the surface instead of crashing right into it.

The dragon was starting to gain altitude again, but Shadow punished that act with another shock, sapping the dragon of its strength, trying to force the beast down. It fell again, and Shadow cut the torture, but this time it wasn't enough. The dragon careened into the rock, slamming into it and bouncing away, only to hit it again; then grinding down the slope, tearing apart any small pieces in its way. Shadow covered his head as small bits of debris bounced over him.

After a moment of a very bumpy ride, the pair came to a stop, covered in dirt and rubble. Shadow got up, examining the damage he did to the dragon before removing the scythe from its back. He walked over and jumped down near the head.

The dragon seemed like it was unconscious, but a shallow wail from its mouth indicated it was still awake, just badly injured. Shadow placed his right hand on the neck of the beast; making sure the creature would not have the energy to pull any stunt, but also to see how bad its injuries were.

* * *

When the action had died down, Kirkigard had found his way to Shadow and the monster he downed. Looking at the ground, he saw Shadow's scythe, with the blade covered in blood.

"That's pretty good, to take one down with your bare hands. Feels more rewarding than throwing those lightning bolts of yours at them, doesn't it?"

Shadow didn't pay him any mind, he was too interested in the dragon, and more importantly, its injuries. It was now that Kirkigard realized that the beast wasn't dead.

"What, you haven't killed it?"

"No, its in pain. It needs help."

"Help? Help a dragon? These foul demons are trying to destroy us!"

"It won't attack, it can't"

"What are you, daft?"

"I'm suppressing its powers, it can't move."

The downed creature was starting to shift, a sign that its attention was returning to the real world. This was followed by a moan of pain.

"Calm down." Shadow patted the creature, trying to comfort it. "Do you have a name?"

The beast didn't respond.

"Why are you wasting your time with this? Kill it and be done with it."

Shadow didn't turn his head from the dragon. "Back off Jr."

"I can see the pain you're in, if you cooperate, I can give you some of your strength back."

The dragon snapped at him. "No!"

Shadow was a bit dismayed and backed away a step.

"No, please. My name is 'Dulcy', but do not relinquish your grip on me."

Shadow tilted his head, wondering why she wanted no charity; at least the voice sounded feminine, so he could call her 'she' instead of 'it'.

"It's up to something."

"Shut up, Kirkigard!"

The dragon shifted her head to get into a slightly more comfortable position, but she was in too much pain to move far.

"The crystals that have formed our scales are the source of our power, but we are also its slaves."

Shadow sat on a rock, though Kirkigard stayed standing, clutching his hammer tightly in his right hand, not letting his guard down.

"What do you mean, 'slaves'?"

"From living in these mountains, our scales have grown crusted with the energy crystals in them; they give us power, but we have grown too reliant on them. Someone has figured out that they are our weakness."

"And they have the ability to cut your power, like I am doing now."

"More than that, they can use the crystals to inflict pain. As long as you are using your power to block the crystals' energy, I am beyond his reach. I can feel it, the eyes in the distance that have always been on me are now closed."

"'His'? Whose?"

"The only name I know of him is 'Renquiest'."

Kirkigard leapt to towards the dragon. "Renquiest? Preposterous! You monsters destroyed his village and everyone in it. He's dead."

Shadow quickly focused on his companion. "You know this guy?"

"I've met him; we weren't really friends, but we got long well enough. His father was the chief of Polbal, until these demons destroyed it."

"We destroyed it on his order."

"Sounds like trickery."

Shadow ran in between the two. "Quiet, both of you. Dulcy, you say he ordered it."

"Yes, he ordered his followers to leave minutes before we attacked, then we destroyed it. No one survived."

"Joshua did, he told of…"

"If anyone survived then it was one of Renquiest's men who came to you. He has allies in some of your villages, including the other two towns we destroyed. He's been watching you, trying to wear you down a piece at a time; and he's also been watching you."

Shadow smirked. "Me, well aren't I special."

"Renquiest wasn't sure if you'd be a threat, so he sent a few dragons to Lalberdean to test you, then when you traveled to Nosadire, he thought it best to eliminate you."

"But he failed."

"Correct, but at least he had managed to scare you off."

"Until that red dragon came after me."

"Tomak wasn't through with you, it was his anger for his humiliation in Lalberdean; Renquiest let him loose on you, just to make sure you were gone."

"Not a wise move, since I'm back."

"When he found out that you returned, Renquiest sent us back."

"To destroy Lalberdean." Kirkigard didn't trust the dragon, but he was tired of sitting out of the conversation.

"Dulcy, he attacked Nosadire the day after I arrived, how'd he know I was there so fast?"

"He was using these boxes, they were made of metal and could carry a person's voice over a distance."

"Radio?"

Kirkigard wasn't convinced. "No one around here uses radio, the signals bounce off the mountains, there's no range."

Shadow looked up. "They could if they flew over the mountains. How many spies does he have, is there one in Lalberdean?"

"No."

"Then how'd he know I was there to begin with?"

"One of his men traveled to another town and passed on a message."

Kirkigard thought back, but no one left Lalberdean in the days following Shadow's arrival, except one. "You mean the merchant?"

"Yes."

"A perfect chance to study a potential threat. He hears Yohan was heading down to get help from Mobotropolis, so he stages the attack on Milon's truck, then the little prick hitches a ride with us and plays spy. Brilliant."

"You think that's bad, he's been charging us an arm and a leg in trade."

"The dragons destroy the competition, and with the threat of attack, he tacks on a huge insurance levy. Dulcy, where's Renquiest now?"

"He's holed up in our roost, in a series of small tunnels that we can't get to."

"Kirkigard, we need to get Dulcy out of here, and back to the village."

Kirkigard was still not convinced of Dulcy's story, even though it sounded pretty convincing. "We can't bring a dragon into the village."

"She won't last long while I'm neutralizing her powers, so she needs our help."

"I don't know, that'd scare a lot of people."

"Your father came to get me to help solve your problem, which is what I'm doing. Now go down there and get a rescue party, I'll stay here and keep her crystals at bay."

"Keep her from crushing all of us out of oblivion, you mean."

"Great! You tell them that, the village will buy that. Now get going. And one other thing, I need a box of Fyr crystals while you're at it."

"What for?"

"You'll see."

* * *

Four hours later, the wounded dragon was moved into the barn. Resting on piles of hay and large white sheets, Dulcy was being tended to by some of the villagers who covered her with large towels heated in a steam bath. Shadow was sitting down with her, and while talking with her, had a box of mined crystals that he was taking in handfuls and sapping of their power.

Shadow picked up a fresh handful. "So tell me more about Renquiest, and how he's controlling you."

"Up until five months ago, his was a normal mining town, like any other. There were occasions of skirmishes between the miners and the dragons, but rarely did it escalate beyond that. One day, a very odd gemstone came into the possession of one of the miners, Renquiest; it glowed a bright red, one might even think it was beautiful, but it soon revealed the power it held. When a dragon came close, it would sap our energy, leaving us helpless; and later, it was found that it could inflict great pain on us."

The hedgehog paused his activity. "A red gem? Have you seen it? How big is it?"

"Yes." Dulcy struggled a bit under the pain. "Renquiest keeps it on him, on a long staff, it is about the size of your fist."

"That sounds familiar."

"You know of this gem."

"Yeah, it sounds like a Chaos Emerald, my power comes from the Green Chaos Emerald, and the Master Emerald."

"What is this 'Master Emerald'? Is it more powerful than the 'Chaos Emerald' that Renquiest has?"

"It would be…" Shadow picked up another hand of crystals. "But I used up its energy a long time ago to save my home. I still possess their powers, but they need energy. If it is a Chaos Emerald doing this, it would explain why I can neutralize and absorb these crystals."

Shadow tilted his hand to let the charred remains of the crystals pour out onto the floor, onto the pile of deceased rock he had already drained. Shadow looked at Dulcy, and noticed that she was looking up at the wing bones taken from the dragon that Lalberdean killed and feasted on.

"The people here meant no harm, but they had little choice."

"His name was Edion, we grew up together. He was a good friend and had a strong sense of duty; he shouldn't be a trophy, it's not right."

"When this is over, you tell us what you want done with him."

"I'm sorry that we cannot return the favor, we have eaten many of the villagers whole."

"There are many villagers who hate you for that, but we all have to put that behind us; I learned a long time ago that you cannot hold a grudge, doing so eats away at you from the inside. We have a common enemy, we have to focus our attention on that."

"Yes, that monster who enslaved us. He will pay for what he has done to us, for our torture, and our queen."

"Your queen, what did he do to her?"

"Queen Tiamat, he is holding her captive, sealed in a cave. She is the mightiest of our kind, and she is the mother or grandmother to most of us. In all honesty, I do not know if she still lives."

Shadow patted Dulcy on the back of the neck, trying to comfort her; just like Karma before, Dulcy was too large to hold and comfort, so this was all he could do. "Dulcy, get some rest, we'll find out soon enough."

To be continued


	36. Chapter 12: Go Home Young Dragon

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 12: Go Home Young Dragon**_

Day 33

It had been five days since Dulcy was taken prisoner, and a most ambitious plan was conceived. A massive onslaught against the dragon roost to draw them out, then Shadow would ride Dulcy into the cavern to extract the villainous Renquiest.

Almost all men and women of fighting strength from Lalberdean had moved to Cordeng to prepare the force. On this day, Dulcy was well enough to fly, and Shadow was to fly her at night to the closer village to avoid being seen.

Before leaving, Mackenzie had seen Shadow off.

"Laddy!"

Shadow turned away from Dulcy to see the large blacksmith towering before him.

"Here's your order, some of me best work, if I do say so myself."

Shadow took the pair of newly crafted implements. Sturdy shafts of oak made up the handles of the deadly pair, just longer than his forearms. The working ends were curved pieces of hardened steel, placed across the wooden grips, short but stout. The inside edge was finely ground to a razor's fancy, and imbued down the whole length with the glittering shards of crystal. Two small scythes, a perfect fit for the diminutive Grim Reaper, were of perfect size and weight. Shadow twirled the vicious claws around his fingers like a cowboy to his 6-shooters, making use of a dulled notch in the blade where it met the wood to keep from slicing his own fingers off. A backwards flip, and Shadow slid the two demons into his belt.

"A couple of beauties, Mac. Good work."

The badger grimaced. "Glad to hear. Tell me, ya gonna name them, every great warrior names his weapons."

Shadow grinned, then came up with two names. "I'll call this one 'Rouge', and this one 'Bunnie'."

"Fine names and all, but if they be the names of some lassies who've caught your fancy, then you are truly a weird one indeed. First for naming them after girls; and second, for thinking you can get away with having two ladies at your side, that just leads to trouble."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Mackenzie left, and Shadow turned back to Dulcy. "I guess I'm really riding with three, aren't I."

"You are a silly one."

"You feeling alright?"

Dulcy sighed. "A bit tense, I'm launching an assault on my own roost."

"Don't worry, the miners will lead the others out, and we slip in; all that will be left are Renquiest and his men."

"I suppose, but it's just…"

Dulcy was too worried to finish, so Shadow just let her pout for a second.

* * *

Flying by dragon was much faster than riding in a truck, and even faster than Shadow could run in the rocky terrain. It took less than an hour to make the route to Cordeng, which would have taken the miners the last three days.

* * *

Dulcy landed in Cordeng, and was quickly brought to their storage area, which they called a warehouse as opposed to a barn. Inside, a large open space was made available for her to sleep. To keep her crystals at bay, Shadow stayed with her like the past week.

Kirkigard and the chief of Cordeng, Mason Jor came to visit the pair. The introductions came first, followed by a quick review of the plan.

"Shadow, you and Dulcy will accompany the assault force, but stay in back of the pack. When the dragons come, the force will attack while you fly up to the roost and take out that slime. It'll take about three days to reach the roost, but the dragons will likely see us long before that."

Mason jumped in. "The sooner the better. Every day that goes by with nothing happening gets on the nerves."

Shadow smirked. "I know what that's like."

But Shadow didn't really, he could not understand the feeling of impending doom. Sure he hated waiting around, but he never felt the cold realization that death was coming for you, not knowing when it would come and take you.

* * *

After Kirkigard and Mason left, Shadow received another visitor.

"If it isn't the king of the dragons."

Shadow looked over. "What brings you to these parts, you rat bastard?"

Veder smirked. "Just thought I'd come in and see the guy who was about to lead 500 men and women to a flaming death."

Shadow feigned surprise. "Do you doubt my plan?"

"Charging the dragon's roost, that's a suicide mission."

"_Is the big mean rodent scared?_"

"This plan is reckless and stupid, I'm worried that I'm out of practice."

"So, you've been in tough scrapes before."

"I've been so deep in it that this look like a 'scrape'."

"Is that what gave you such jagged edges."

"No, I've always been like that, when I was young I had no one to rely on but myself. I learned that there's no point in being with other people, just a bunch of wretched scum that get in your business."

"You've never cared about anyone?"

"I stopped caring, because when people get hurt, it slows you down too much; and when people get killed, then you might as well call it quits."

Shadow knew that all to well. "Have you lost anyone, someone close?"

"Yeah, some time ago; and I have yet to decide if I even cared."

Veder walked out, intent on getting some sleep in the remaining hours of the night.

"I don't know if I should pity you, or envy you."

* * *

Day 34

It was early in the morning, before sunrise when only the slightest hint of light was about. The village was in an uproar as the warriors prepared for an assault on the mountains. Kirkigard was about, giving orders to the men and women as they readied themselves.

"We move out at dawn, it will take almost three days to make the path up to the dragon's roost, but I figure the dragons will spot us long before that. We'll draw out the dragons from their roost, and Shadow will lead the strike into the pit."

One of the miners was not sure of the plan, nor were most other people. "You're not trusting this outsider who'll be riding one of these beasts? Are you?"

"Shadow has a plan, which is something we've been lacking for the last few months. I don't really trust either of them, but it's all we've got."

* * *

Shadow was trying to calm down Dulcy who was clearly distraught with the upcoming assault on her home.

"You've definitely seen better days."

"Yeah, I'm worried, those are my friends and family that I'm going to fight. What if I hurt them, or kill them? What kind of dragon would I be to strike one of my own."

"You're doing this to save your people, to release them from that tyrant. I'm sure they'll forgive you for this… transgression."

"That doesn't make it any easier."

Shadow stroked Dulcy's neck, trying to help her calm down.

Kirkigard came up behind him. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, we're ready to go."

Shadow noticed that Kirkigard didn't leave to join the others.

"What is it?"

"I'm going with you."

"You're what?"

"I'm not trusting the whole crux of this mission on an outsider and a dragon, I'm going with."

"Dulcy, can you handle an extra passenger?"

"I don't know, I'll try."

"After the boost I give you, you'll be able to handle half this swarthy lot."

Shadow jumped up on Dulcy's back, and reached down to pull Kirkigard up behind him. Fully mounted, the dragon stepped out into the open and approached the invaders. Kirkigard directed Dulcy to the head of the force.

Like a colonel in a cavalry leading his troops into battle atop a horse, Kirkigard called out to lead the charge, wielding his hammer to the sky.

"People of the Hoines Mountains, we are here in a fight for our lives and our future. There are villains who have taken control of the dragons and sent them against us, destroying our homes, killing our friends and family; this must stop. We are going to take the battle to them, we will draw out the dragons, and then breech the gate and extract the villains who dared to ignite this war. I won't lie to you, this is dangerous, many may die, but there will be more death and destruction if we do nothing. For the sake of our homes, our friends, our future, go forth to battle, and to victory!"

Shadow turned back to Kirkigard.

"That's not a war cry, my grandmother could rile more people than that by reciting her recipe for biscuits." Shadow patted Dulcy. "Don't think anything of this I don't really mean it."

"Warriors! Hear me and ready yourselves! We go into battle to secure freedom from tyranny, from the oppression of a vile maniac! Stand side to side with your comrades! Raise your arms against your enemy! And go into battle and fight for your future! FORWARD!!!" Shadow paused and turned to Kirkigard. "Are we ready to leave?"

"Yes."

"MARCH!!!!"

* * *

The invasion had traveled for the whole day with no altercations, just one less day's travel between them and the target. However, some people were still apprehensive of having a dragon with them. Kirkigard couldn't speak for the others, but at least his own men had faith in him, and if he said the dragon was friendly they'd believe it; of course, it helped when he said that if Dulcy was less that cooperative, he'd take care of her personally.

Dulcy herself was also uncomfortable, she didn't trust any of the miners, and wondered if some of them might try to take advantage of her captive position; also, she had never walked this far before, even with Shadow's power up, she was still getting very tired.

One day down, two days left; everyone wanted this to be over, preferring to face the dragons now instead of waiting until they reached the roost, by which time they would probably be very tired from the climb.

* * *

Day 35

The second day transpired like the first, the small army continued to travel up the mountain, winding around twisted paths, climbing higher and higher over a path that was not as well defined as the roads between the towns. Some of the vehicles were having trouble making it up the mountainside, which worried many as it might add another day to the already tiring journey.

* * *

In the middle of the day, the battalion stopped for lunch; the most obvious problem with lunch was feeding the massive dragon in their midst.

Dulcy ate a lot, eating roughly the contents of one truck load per day; this meant that the army had to travel pretty heavy, but at least some of the truck drivers could head home when they emptied their supply. While Dulcy was having her fill, Shadow was eating a much smaller sandwich.

"How's lunch?"

"Not bad."

Dulcy flame-broiled some of the meat presented before her.

"That's neat, can you do my sandwich?"

"Sure."

Shadow placed his sandwich on Dulcy's food, and she blasted the whole lot of it.

Shadow walked over to find the meat still pretty rare, but his sandwich was reduced to a lump of coal.

"I needed to go on a diet anyway."

* * *

Two hours later, the procession continued their trek through the mountains. Shadow, as impatient as ever was riding Dulcy and talking with her to keep himself busy.

"So, how much further is it to your roost?"

"About four peaks in; at the rate we're going, we should get there late tomorrow."

"What's this roost of yours like?"

"It's a series of caves, very large, and very comfortable. There's one large mountain that's completely hollow."

Looking at the huge mountains, Shadow wondered how much room that would be, but nothing shy of a whole mountain would be big enough for a colony of dragons.

"What's it like sleeping on rock?"

"It's not bad, we scratch up the ground to dust to make a softer floor, but its nothing compared to the hay bed I had back there."

"The closest I had to sleeping on a rock was resting in a small cave in Nosadire, while you…"

"I'm sorry about that town."

"Dulcy, if you were there, did you see…"

"Yes, I was there."

Shadow choked, trying to get the question out. "You didn't see someone there, a cat, with orange fur?"

"No, I didn't; was he a friend of yours?"

Shadow ignored that Dulcy got the wrong gender. "No, just someone I met there."

From behind, Shadow heard a high-pitched whistle; he turned his head to see a man sitting on top of a truck blowing the wind instrument. With his other hand, he pointed a pair of binoculars to the sky.

"Dragons!"

A fury of the beasts swarmed through the air, still very distant but distinguishable. It seemed as if every dragon in the mountains was up there, forming a large cloud of darkness in the sky.

Shadow was still on Dulcy's back. "Are you ready?"

"No sense backing out now."

"How many are up there? Is that the whole roost?"

"Most of them, about 60 or 70 are up there; there are a bit more than 100 of us in total."

That was more dragons than what attacked Nosadire, and wiped it out; they had to finish this quickly or things were going to be desperate.

"We'll fly through them, and shake them up a bit before making our way in, just to take some heat off."

Kirkigard was quickly dispatching some orders before rejoining Shadow and Dulcy. "You ready to go?"

"Hop aboard." Shadow pulled Kirkigard up.

With both passengers on board, Dulcy flapped her wings open, ready to fly up.

"LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!!!" Shadow placed his hands firmly around Dulcy's neck, then started to pump her full of energy. Her yellow scales started to glow, and energy creeped between the plates like a glowing vapor.

With a mighty roar, Dulcy flapped her wings in large powerful beats, lifting her and her two passengers off the ground. As they hovered, the energy started to grow brighter, flowing off her like a blazing flame, turning the dragon into a phoenix reborn. Now well off the ground, Dulcy flew up, heading straight for her kin; the energy boost propelled her through the air, leaving a flaming trail like a meteor raining up instead of down.

High in the sky, the flock saw the oncoming flare and spread out to avoid it as Dulcy and company flew right through them, heading for the roost. The dragons were disoriented and didn't know what to do; the force from the village was still approaching on the ground, but know there was a new hitch, a strange fiery beast flying straight for their home. Not sure what to do, some of the dragons followed the creature to the roost, even though they had no ability to catch the speeding rocket.

* * *

A few miles away at the mouth of a massive cave, two dragons saw the burning beast that cut through their fellow beasts, not knowing that it was their lost dragon, Dulcy at its center. The two dragons stood their ground and fired their breath at it, trying to scare it away.

Dulcy didn't flinch, she charged the gate and the two dragons guarding it; she just hoped that the two sentinels would move out of the way before she crashed into them. The two dragons were fairly young and didn't have the sheer nerve to override their survival instinct; once the flaming death was right in front of them, they scattered, leaving the door open for Dulcy to fly straight in.

* * *

Inside, Dulcy flew through the large open caverns, illuminating them in bright yellow. Other dragons in the way leapt away to keep out of reach of the fiery demon.

The cavern was plenty big for Dulcy to fly though, a perfect home for the scaly beasts. As they traveled through the entry hall, a rock bridge was seen ahead, crossing the wide expanse. On it were two monsters that were much smaller than the dragons that called this place home.

Shadow looked up to the bridge, and the two men standing on it. "Well, well, well. Hey Kirkigard, do you recognize them?"

The bear looked forward. "No."

"Good. Dulcy, let's give them a serious hot foot."

Shadow didn't even have to say the words, Dulcy was so enraged she wanted to use her new freedom and power to teach every one of these scumbags a lesson. Drawing breath, the dragon lunged forward with her heated breath; but just as her strength was augmented by Shadow's boost, so was her flame. Pouring out of her mouth was not fire, but a fierce wave of pure energy, a tsunami of pure white Hell.

The two on the bridge were terrified already by the sight of the flaming dragon, the white flame was the icing on the cake. The jet blasted right through the bridge and the man on the right, completely devouring the rock in one gulp, then spread across the bridge to destroy the whole structure and the other man. When Dulcy cut off the blast, the bridge, the two men and parts of the walls were completely vaporized, a bright orange glow on the melting walls were all that's left.

Kirkigard was stunned by the sheer demolition caused by the energized flame. "Could they have survived that?"

Shadow looked back. "Are you kidding? They'll be lucky if there's enough of them left to scrape up with a putty knife."

* * *

Dulcy left the entrance corridor and ended up in a giant hollowed out cavern, a giant cone shaped bubble that was as large as any of the mountain peaks. Dulcy flew up, aiming for a particular place in the wall. A ways up was another cavern that had been sealed off with a rockslide.

Kirkigard reached over. "What is it?"

"This is the chamber of our queen." Dulcy was stuttering a bit. "When they came, they sealed her inside, none of us has seen her since."

Shadow remembered what Dulcy told him before. "Then lets take it down, and be careful, we don't want to bake your queen."

Dulcy breathed in, and let loose with her white-hot flame, melting away the stone like a welder's torch on cheap plastic. The rocks flowed out of the hole, giving Dulcy and crew a route into the large chamber. They flew in.

"Your highness!"

Dulcy flew in towards a large black lump in the back, and approached.

On a slab of rock was a dragon, the largest dragon that Shadow had seen yet, but she was in even worse shape than the red dragon that Shadow had slain. There was the queen of all dragons, with jet black scales that glittered with an obsidian gloss, slumped on the rock; her wings had been torn off at the base, a small bit of bone and flesh were all that remained of her once mammoth sails. Her legs were also amputated, each one cut off at the knee; save for her front left leg, which was totally missing. In addition, her tail was also cut of right at the stem; the five fleshy stumps suggested they had been torn off like the wings. Up to her head, the left side of her face was also shredded away; her left eye was no more than a gaping hole with exposed bone and torn muscle.

"Your highness!"

Dulcy was now standing just before her queen, and Shadow and Kirkigard dismounted. The large monarch responded, slowly and painfully lifting her head to see her visitor with her one good eye.

"Who, who is there?"

"Your highness, it is Dulcy, I've brought help to rid us of these bastards."

The dragon tried to look at the other two, but couldn't move her head far enough; instead, she leaned back to rest.

"Your highness? Queen Tiamat?"

"I am tired, so very tired…"

"Please, everything will be fine, don't die. We'll destroy these heathens."

"How dare you talk about your master like that?!"

Dulcy, Shadow and Kirkigard turned around to see one figure standing on the other side of the room. Looking at the trio like a vengeful god ready to unleash an unholy wrath, the spotted leopard was holding a long staff made of hardened steel with a mace on the end, and inset into its neck was a large red gemstone, one that Shadow recognized as being like the Green Chaos Emerald.

"You impudent little bitch, you will pay for this insolence!"

Dulcy was enraged, although Shadow's power boost had faded when he lost contact with her, she still wanted to attack with whatever power she had. "You monster, you will suffer for what you have done."

Kirkigard was also enraged. "You vicious bastard, you created this war, for what? So you can control the mountains, and take all the mining rights for yourself."

The leopard laughed. "That was the plan, but I figure I could use the mountains as a base for launching attacks against nearby nations; with the dragons I could become a major power in this area."

Shadow didn't like that thought as Mobotropolis was one such nation. "World domination, the life's goal of every mentally devolved megalomaniac."

"You've got some mouth on you, but not quite the biggest. Dulcy, if you exterminate these two pests, I might forgive you for this error in judgment." Renquiest started to wave his staff threateningly in the air.

Dulcy knew the pain that Renquiest could inflict, but she was just too angry to even consider it; she felt freedom for the first time in months, and she'd rather suffer the consequences instead of succumbing to him again. "I will rip you apart!"

"You naughty little girl, I'll have to punish you."

Renquiest held the staff towards the yellow dragon, but was not pleased with the results. Dulcy didn't feel anything, no pain, no torment, nothing.

"What's the matter?" Shadow spoke in a snide voice. "The big bad kitty losing his touch?"

Renquiest had no idea why the gem did nothing, but he had no time to figure it out here; Dulcy was angry, and about to unleash her fury on him. As the dragon fired with her normal flame breath, Renquiest ran for a nearby corridor that was cut into the rock, meant for Renquiest and his men to move about where any dragons couldn't get them.

"He's getting away!" Without really thinking, Kirkigard chased after the fiend and Shadow followed.

Dulcy shouted after them. "Get him, I'll look after my queen."

The dragon moved back to the fallen queen and looked on her mangled face. "Don't worry, they'll stop that madman, grandmother."

* * *

Kirkigard was following the sounds of footsteps down the corridors. "So that gem is what he's using to control the dragons, why didn't it work back there?"

"That stone he has is a Chaos Emerald, and as long as I'm in range, I can suppress its power."

"You're pretty fast, can you catch him?"

"I don't know, these halls are pretty tight and uneven, I'd more likely trip or run face first into a wall, besides…"

The pair came to a large room, standing before them was their prey, along with many of his men, many of whom Shadow never saw before, but there was one rather seedy merchant he did recognize.

"…he stopped."

"I hope you don't mind, but I invited some friends. If you'll excuse me, I have someone to tend to."

"Where are you going?"

Renquiest looked at the corrupt merchant. "Why don't you do something useful as opposed to leaching off others, and do some actual work."

Renquiest started to walk out a tunnel in behind.

"Renquiest! Come back and face me you heathen!"

Kirkigard ran towards the fiend, but the others moved in the way, brandishing weapons. Milon took little time to assume command once the real leader was gone.

"Get them, kill them!"

A large bull lunged at Kirkigard with a large axe, and a gray wolf came forward with a large sword. Around the side, a female mouse leveled a bow and fired. Kirkigard caught the axe with his toothed hammer, and dodged away from the sword. Shadow jumped behind him and swatted away the arrow with his scythes. The others had their own weapons and moved around into different positions.

"That bastard is getting away!"

Shadow felt around, trying to trace the movement of the Red Chaos Emerald. "Worse than that, I think he's heading back towards Dulcy and Tiamat. You go back and head him off. I'll handle these slime."

Kirkigard didn't even consider that Shadow would be better able to defend Dulcy and Tiamat, he was too angry to leave Renquiest to someone else, something that Shadow had noticed. The bear ran out while Shadow faced down the dozen.

From his position in the back, Milon screamed out more orders. "Kill him, kill the outsider!"

Shadow smirked as he twitched the blades. "You clearly do not know who I am. Would you care to guess? And if anyone says 'Sonic', I'm going to kill the lot of you."

"HEEEAARRRRRGHHHH!!!"

* * *

Renquiest walked down a hall with strong firm steps; by comparison, Kirkigard suddenly ran in from the other side of the long room and almost stumbled on his way in.

"You!"

"Well, well, it seems the boy scout is angry about something."

"You killed my father!"

"The dragons killed your father."

"Face your death!"

Kirkigard let out a scream as he charged. Renquiest held his staff, the red stone shining now when it failed to do so earlier.

* * *

Shadow was jumping about the room like so many monkeys while Renquiest's entourage was trying to pin him in.

The wolf had missed again, and lunged his sword into a table. "Hold still you little ferret."

"Ferret? I'm gonna give you an extra close shave for that, doggie boy."

Shadow scraped the twin blades like he was sharpening a knife, preparing for the carving of Thanksgiving turkey.

Renquiest's entourage came down on Shadow, lunging at him with weapons extended.

The hedgehog ducked as a raccoon tried to cut his head off, then retaliated with a jump kick right to the swordsman's face. A fox tried to skewer Shadow with a long spear, but a few dance steps kept him from becoming a shishkabob. Shadow jumped up to avoid a swing from the bull's large battle axe. The bull looked around to see where Shadow landed, but he wasn't on the ground.

"You've got a nice swing there, ever considered taking up golf?"

The bull turned to see Shadow standing on the head of his axe.

"Get off!"

The bull twisted the axe, and Shadow leapt away, landing on the ground. Right in front of his eyes, an arrow shot past, just missing his face by a whisker. Shadow looked to his right where the mouse was leveling another arrow in her bow.

Shadow wasn't about to let her fire again. Shunting his Chaos Control into his blades, the Fyr infused metal charged with an electric aura, and Shadow threw them out at his attackers. The scythes spun through the air like energized disks, circling around and between the villains. Shadow got a good laugh watching his opponents dodge and defend against the whirling spirits. Shadow was controlling the deadly disks and made sure to direct a few passes at the merchant who was cowering in the rear, going so far as a few close shaves that slashed his clothes and cut his fur hat in two.

After a minute, Shadow called them back, catching the pair by their oak handles; the energy dissipated once they were back in possession of their owner.

"Now, is there anyone who wants to play round two, if you leave now I'll let you live."

No one was retreating, except possibly the merchant, but he was scared stiff, unable to move. The others were a little scared, but they weren't standing down, and charged.

Shadow was again dodging a series of attacks, flying pieces of metal aimed at his body; swords, a mace, a ball and chain, all trying to pin in the hedgehog and do endless amounts of damage to him, but all were too slow to catch him. Again, the mouse leveled her bow, hoping to pick off the hedgehog while he was busy defending against the other attacks; her weapon being the only one fast enough to have a chance at catching the pest. 

The arrow flew past Shadow's head; the hedgehog ducked at the last possible second to avoid, but it still nicked his left ear. It was the first time that these minions were able to hit Shadow, and it would be the last time.

Shadow cast a bloodthirsty glaze over his eyes, then spoke in a hideous whisper. "Alright kiddies, play time's over…"

* * *

Elsewhere, Kirkigard was not having a good time; Renquiest was using the Red Chaos Emerald to launch flaming bursts at the bear, exploding when they hit the rock.

There was nowhere to hide in the modestly sized room. Kirkigard was having trouble getting near Renquiest as he continued to fire a barrage of fireballs at the bear, each blast forced Kirkigard to dodge to the left or right, or to fall back slightly to avoid the shattering bursts.

"What's the matter little bear, you've fought dragons with mightier flame than this, and yet you cringe before me."

"Shut up you monster!"

Kirkigard ran forward, blindly charging into the barrage. Renquiest was impressed with his rage, and amused by it; he pointed his staff to the ground, and brought a wave of red energy from the ground. The shockwave slammed into Kirkigard, and blasted him back with a force that mirrored when his father was hit by the side of his truck.

Renquiest followed up the wide area attack with another fireball, fired straight at the stumbling bear. Kirkigard recovered just enough to see it coming, and swung his hammer in front of him, trying to block or deflect the attack, but it exploded right in front of him. Kirkigard was thrown back some distance, while his weapon fell to the ground, well out of reach.

"You little brat, you're just a fly compared to me. I'll destroy you worse than what any dragon could do to you."

* * *

The bull's giant axe crashed to the ground near Shadow's feet; the hedgehog had no trouble dodging the strike. Staring straight into the eyes of the massive man, Shadow jumped forward.

Shlink!

Shadow hit the ground, facing the remaining challengers, the body of his victim slumping to the ground, the head rolled clumsily to one side.

"Who's next?"

The sight of the vicious beast before them struck fear into their hearts, but with only a second's hesitation, the remaining soldiers readied themselves. Before they could move, Shadow phased out and appeared behind a rather small and shabbily dressed possum.

"Let's see you play dead."

With several strokes, Shadow tore apart his back, slicing his spine in several places; one stroke at the back of the head killed him instantly. Shadow had already selected his next target before the fiends could locate him. Darting across the room, Shadow leapt to an armadillo with a mace. He plunged the right scythe into her throat, and sliced right down her torso. After dispatching his third target, Shadow dived to his left, and sliced through the belly of the large wolf, causing him to collapse to the ground, trying to hold his insides inside.

By now, everyone else was trying to escape this death chamber. Most made it out, but Shadow still struck down an arctic fox with a strike through the back and straight for the heart; and then snatched the mouse's bow and arrow, then fired an arrow right between the eyes. Now, everyone was either dead, or gone, except one little weasel trying to scurry away. The greedy merchant was saved for last, and while trying to crawl towards a door, Shadow slammed his foot in front of his face.

"Well now, isn't this a pleasant sight: Mr. Binhelm, greedy merchant who enjoys gouging his customers in rough times, now cowering on the floor. Let me guess, that little show at the beginning was just that, a little spectacle to make sure that the miners didn't suspect anything. I bet they'd fully understand your high prices to pay for replacing the odd vehicle that was destroyed." Shadow held up the bloody scythes rather horrifically, pointing them right at Milon's face. "I would enjoy gouging you, if for any reason than to stop your incessant snoring."

Milon was slowly creeping away, holding up a piece of a chair like it would offer some kind of protection. "Now come on, friend. I'll cut you a deal, 100,000, 200,000; no, half a mil."

"You'll be needing your hands to count all that money, won't you?"

The rodent had no chance to figure out Shadow's cryptic message when Shadow lunged forward, and with the sharp fangs, smashing the chair and severing both hands. The shrill was terrible.

"You monster!"

"Me, a monster? You don't know the half of it; if you had any idea as to what I really am, I'm sure you could come up with something better than 'monster'."

Shadow was closing in on the merchant.

"Now what am I to do with you? I could slit your belly open and spill your guts on the floor, or I could cut you down a piece at a time. There's a lot of fun things to do to you." Shadow's ears twitched. "Or perhaps this!"

Milon fell to the ground with Rouge deeply planted into his forehead; despite the ruckus, Shadow had paid close attention to which blade was which. Behind Shadow, a large broadsword fell to the ground, with Bunnie planted equally into the skull of the large grey wolf trying to use his last bit of strength to strike down the black demon.

"Nobody sneaks up on me."

* * *

Kirkigard was smashed into a wall, the victim of another of Renquiest force bursts.

"You little weakling, how dare you even think that you could stand against me."

"Shadow will get you, that puny little trinket of yours is useless against him."

"Then it's a good thing my followers are dealing with him."

"'Followers'? What are you, a god now?"

"Don't be ridiculous, when I conquer the world, then I'll be a god."

Renquiest swung his staff, launching another fire bolt at Kirkigard; the bear pushed off the wall to avoid, but he was still caught in the blast and fell to the cave floor.

"Begging for mercy will get you nowhere."

"Not exactly a benevolent deity, are you."

"You dare joke about my power, do you have no faith at all you heathen."

"Sorry, I'm atheist."

"Then I will make you believe." Renquiest held up his staff, then swung it down, launching another fire blast at Kirkigard.

Kirkigard rolled away, missing the blast but still getting burned by the explosion. Despite the strike, Kirkigard struggled and got to his feet. Enraged, the bear ran towards the leopard again.

Renquiest held out his staff again, throwing another force field at the heretic; it hit Kirkigard hard, but he resisted it and pushed on. The large cat sent another shockwave, and Kirkigard pressed on, until he was almost to the tyrant. With a burst of strength, Kirkigard lunged forward and grabbed Renquiest's staff. But when he touched it, his hands burned where he touched the metal, and his body was awash in a fierce energy

"You insolent fool, the stone has chosen me! And it will punish you!"

Renquiest summoned the power of the Red Chaos Emerald, and directed it straight into Kirkigard, blasting him across the room and into the opposite wall, breaking off several chunks of rock that almost broke his back.

"You no longer amuse me, so now you die."

Kirkigard looked down and saw his hammer a bit off to his left. Just as Renquiest was about to fire on him again, Kirkigard reached behind him and grabbed a piece of rock dislodged from the wall, then threw it at the leopard. As the wand swung again, the fireball flew and hit the rock only a few feet from Renquiest's face, pushing the menace back.

For the first time, Kirkigard had an opening and made a break for his hammer, grabbing it before Renquiest could shake off the shock. The bear called on whatever strength he had and charged Renquiest. The leopard swung his staff and launched another blast at Kirkigard, who hefted his hammer and blocked the attack; this time, standing firm and blunting the blast without losing ground.

Kirkigard continued his progression towards Renquiest, who fired another shot; like before, Kirkigard blocked the shot with the head of his weapon, and braced for the explosion. Renquiest fired twice more at the bear, and both times Kirkigard blocked the shots and stood against the blaze.

As Kirkigard got close, Renquiest threw a shockwave at the trodding golem; the bear stood his ground as the energy wall smashed into him.

"Stay back you devil."

Renquiest pointed the staff at Kirkigard, sending a river of energy at him; burning him, stinging him, but his determination resisted pain. Fighting the energy, Kirkigard lunged through, charging Renquiest, swinging his hammer at the warlord. Facing the large steel block, Renquiest instinctively held up his staff to block it. The hammer came down and struck the pole, smashing it at the head; bits of steel rod fell to the ground, and the Red Chaos Emerald hit the rock with a crystalline ring.

Renquiest's power was gone, now just a rock on the ground. Kirkigard ran forward and bull charged the leopard, knocking him back and further away from his power source. Now in control of the fight, Kirkigard went for the big play.

"This is for my father!"

The bear swung his weapon around, and slammed the four-pronged end into Renquiest's belly, puncturing the flesh, leaving four bloody holes when he yanked it out.

"This is for everyone who died."

Kirkigard swung his hammer again and smashed the blunt end into Renquiest's chest; the leopard coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"And this is for your village, that you betrayed!"

Kirkigard hefted the mighty weapon over his head, and brought the four dull points right to Renquiest's face; plunging through and cracking his skull in so many pieces. The tyrant fell to the ground.

Kirkigard stood over his victim, still awash in a sea of rage. With his pent up hatred, he raised his weapon again, and dealt another blow to the fallen beast.

While the bear continued to ravage the corpse, Shadow came in from behind

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I think he's dead."

Kirkigard stopped beating on the corpse of the tyrant to turn to Shadow; a glint of savagery still remained in his eyes, similar to Shadow's, save his had long faded. Shadow looked over into the corner and walked over to the Red Chaos Emerald. Just as his hand was about to grip the glassy gem…

Crack!

Shadow didn't even have to turn around to know that noise. "O.K. That was excessive."

* * *

Shadow and Kirkigard made their way to the queen's chamber, there they found four other dragons had come in with Dulcy and Queen Tiamat. The others took instant notice of the two from the village, and the red gem they were holding. Before any of them reacted, Dulcy called out.

"No, those are my friends, leave them alone."

The four dragons stopped and allowed the two intruders to enter with no further conflict. Kirkigard walked towards the ravaged queen with Shadow following just behind him. Kirkigard didn't say anything, not a greeting, nor a peep of any kind. Leaning down, Kirkigard laid the Red Chaos Emerald on the ground, and then turned away, heading for the door. Shadow watched as Kirkigard walked away without a word; he turned to Queen Tiamat and gave a bow, and then followed Kirkigard.

The queen looked at the two strangers with some difficulty, then over to Dulcy; with a nod, she sent the young dragon on her way. She joined Shadow and Kirkigard to give them a ride down the mountain.

To be continued


	37. Chapter 13: The Journey Ends

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 13: The Journey Ends**_

Day 42

It was early in the morning, and the people of Lalberdean were putting the last of the supplies in a small truck for Shadow. In the week since Renquiest was beaten, there were no more attacks from the dragons.

A few days ago, a truck was seen driving down the mountain, carrying the last of Renquiest's men, trying to escape from the dragon's roost. When they were caught, they gave up with no struggle to a village on the other side of Cordeng. So far, no decision had been made on what to do with them, but Shadow had suggested that the punishment be lenient, as they had been "scared straight". Joshua was also questioned for his involvement that he strongly denied; with no hard evidence, he was let go. With all that had happened, the people in the mountains just wanted to put everything behind them, instead of carrying out a witch hunt.

Kirkigard had declared that the war between them and the dragons was over, and Shadow wanted to return home A.S.A.P. He had spoken to Tikal last night and told her that he was returning. It would take several days to make the trip back, but Shadow didn't like long trips; and he was sure that there were some at home who couldn't wait either. He wondered if he should have waited and told Tikal when he was almost home, to surprise them; opportunity lost.

Shadow emerged from the mess hall, there was no sense going on a long journey on an empty stomach. He was wearing the fur clothes and cape that the villagers had given him; though not visible under the cover of the drapery, he was also carrying the two scythes he took into battle, both had left a bloody stain on the fur coat from the battle a week ago. For some time he debated weither or not to bring them back with him; they felt like a part of him, but it would also bring some questions from their namesakes, especially since he had them engraved with the letters 'R' and 'B'. He decided to take them with him, but there was still time to change his mind, right up to when he left, or he could just throw them out the window anywhere from here to Mobotropolis; but if he left them, then the choice was made. So he took them.

As he headed towards the truck, he was greeted by a group that rivaled the one that saw him off when he left Mobotropolis.

"Thank you for helping us."

"That was awesome!"

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

"You did a real nice jorb there."

"Give our thanks to the Queen."

Shadow was now standing in front of the truck, before him was chief Kirkigard. Directly behind him were a few of the guards, and Kirkigard's mother and two siblings.

"Shadow, I've been considering how to best say this; you're a total jackass, and I don't know what we would have done without you."

The bear reached out his hand and Shadow took it. The hedgehog looked over to Kirkigard's mother.

"You alright Karma?"

The tan furred female seemed to stifle back a tear. "I'll be fine, I have to be."

"Are you gonna come back?" Marcy asked.

"I don't know, I might."

"Yeah, well if you get bored with the girls in Mobotropolis, you can come back to me, and we can get married."

Shadow grimaced. "I'd like that, but there are some in Mobotropolis who wouldn't like that."

"Bully for them."

Shadow looked at Brian. "Hey kid."

"Hi."

"You still miss your dad, don't you."

"Yes."

Shadow knelt down. "Let me tell you something, there are worse things in this world than losing your father. I for instance, I haven't seen my family in years. I have a father, a mother and a sister, but I haven't seen them in years, and I have no idea what's happened to them since; I spend some nights lying in torment, not knowing where they are. If I can live with that, you'll do O.K."

"And your brother?"

Shadow had a momentary lapse; in talking with Brian about the false memories that Void had given him, he had forgotten that he came here pretending to be Sonic's brother.

"Well, I know what happened to him. So in that case, we're at least even; we both have family that we know we lost."

"I guess."

"Buck up kid, I think your brother is gonna need an awful lot of help to run things; you can help him, can't you?"

"Yeah!"

"Good for you."

Shadow turned back to Kirkigard. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

"We're never gonna forget you."

"I hope every…"

Ringing throughout the town, the rapid clanging of a bell electrified the air.

"Dragons!"

The call, which for months was a signal of attack, caused an immediate stir in the village.

"Hold it!" Kirkigard called to his people, asking for calm. "Everyone calm down, our fight with the dragons is over; let's see what they want."

The people started to quiet down, then moved back to give the dragons enough room to land. The three dragons landed in the village; the lead dragon was most unique, for it was not a whole dragon. Shadow and Kirkigard came forward to meet them.

As chief of the village, Kirkigard made the opening comment. "Queen Tiamat, you are looking… well."

The dragon queen, who had been previously seen as a devastated torso, was now whole. All parts of her body that were destroyed were replaced by a form made of living crystal; her tail, front left leg, all her feet, and part of her face glittered like the gems found in the stone, and her wings looked like living panels of stained glass. Her left eye was also replaced, shining with a familiar red glow.

"Thank you, Mr. Sancot. We came when we heard that Shadow would be leaving and returning home."

"That I am, your highness."

"You have done much for us, we have no way to repay you, but I do have a request."

"And that is?"

Next to Tiamat, Dulcy came forward. "I want to see the land that you come from. Let me go back with you and show me where you live and the people who are your friends."

"You have saved our people, at least let us give you a ride home."

Shadow bowed slightly. "I would be honored, Queen Tiamat."

The hedgehog turned to Kirkigard. "Are you going to be alright?"

Kirkigard looked towards Tiamat. "We've got work to do, but we'll be alright."

* * *

It was later that day, high over the city of Mobotropolis that a strange black mark appeared. Nobody noticed it at first, thinking it was just a bird flying overhead; but as it drew near, more and more paid attention. As the spot in the sky grew and took shape, crowds started to gather. Some were mesmerized by the flying beast, while others screamed and dispersed when it came too close.

At the palace, Geoffrey raced out the large doors to see the incoming flight, heading straight for him.

"On your toes! Incoming!"

Several guards scrambled and took positions around the front of the palace.

"What is that thing?"

"Don't anybody do anything until I order it!"

The black spot had now grown to full size and color, and Geoffrey could make out the reptilian figure flying towards him; he couldn't believe his own eyes, a dragon, a real life flying dragon swooping down on Mobotropolis. What did it want? Was it attacking? So far it hadn't shown any hostile action aside from just showing up unannounced.

From on the dragon's back, the last remaining bit of blackness called out. "Look out below!"

"Shadow?! Everybody stand back, hold your weapons!" Geoffrey turned to another guard. "Get Queen Sally."

The guard ran into the palace just as Dulcy touched down.

The skunk moved up towards the head of the creature. "Shadow, what is this?"

From the palace doors, Sally emerged with the guard. "I know, I know, I saw it through the window."

Shadow called down from Dulcy's back. "Good afternoon, your highness; I bring a visitor."

"Yes, I can see that."

"This is Dulcy. Dulcy, Queen Sally."

The hedgehog leapt off Dulcy who bowed to the queen. "I am honored to meet you, and I bring best wishes from Queen Tiamat."

"Thank you." Sally turned to Shadow. "I take it things went well."

"Very, I managed to handle the dispute between the miners and the dragons to everyone's best interest, and diplomatically too."

"I'm sure. Looks like we'll have to move up your welcome home party, Tikal said you wouldn't be back for another week."

"Change of travel plans. Now, speaking of home…"

Sally waved him off. "Right, right; I'm sure Bunnie and Rouge can't wait to see you too."

"Thank you, _your very generous highness_."

Shadow sped off.

Sally turned to the dragon. "I welcome you to Mobotropolis, I hope that you enjoy your stay. Antoine!"

Behind Sally, the coyote in question appeared. "Oui, Madame."

"Would you see to miss Dulcy's needs."

Antoine was a little startled by the large creature, wondering just what needs she would have. "Of course."

"Thank you, Antoine."

Sally turned back to her guest, but Antoine sought her attention for a bit more.

"Pardonez moi."

"Yes."

"Your highness. If zee miners and dragons were to work together to mine and fly Fyr crystals to Mobotropolis, it would be an incredible boost to our economy."

Sally was only partially listening to Antoine. "Yes, yes, draft a proposal or something; I have a dignitary to host."

* * *

Elsewhere in Mobotropolis, Shadow was racing through the streets until he found his way home. Reaching the door, he barged in, not even bothering to knock; afterall, it was _his_ house.

"Rouge! Bunnie! I'm home!"

Rouge was the first to appear, coming from the hallway. "Shadow?!"

Rouge ran into his arms and embraced him in a huge hug.

"We thought you wouldn't be back for a few more days. When did you get back?"

"A couple minutes ago, I had to land in front of the palace since there wasn't enough room around here."

"Land?"

"I'll explain later."

Rouge then noticed Shadow's haircut. "And what in Hell happened to your spines?"

"I'll explain that after later."

Bunny came into the room after hearing that Shadow was back, hugging him the same way Rouge did. "Shadow!"

"Bunnie, great to see you." Shadow then noticed that Bunnie was a little bigger than he remembered.

"Did you put on… a little… ? !"

"Welcome home, Daddy."

END

Omochao: "Uh oh! Looks like Mother Nature has played an April Fool's joke on Shadow."

Knuckles: "Yeah, lets see how tough that black weirdo is now."

Shadow: …

Omochao: "Shadow's fainted."

Knuckles: "Ha!"

Omochao: "Before we leave, Black Mantle has a message he wanted me to pass on. To anyone reviewing this story, please do NOT mention anything about the end, least of all the little surprise awaiting Shadow's return. This was a little something that the author, whose real name does not begin with any letter in the English alphabet, wanted to pop at the readers, and not to be ruined by some party-pooper with a stupid review. So 'mum's the word."


	38. ACT X: LOSERS WEEPERS

**Act X: Losers Weepers**

**A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction by Black Mantle**

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

U2 put it best in their song "Stuck in a Moment", what if you were once on top of the world, and a misstep sent you crashing down. Perhaps it was a grievous mistake you made, or perhaps fate had tossed you a curve ball, and you didn't react correctly, or maybe you did everything right, but it still felt very wrong. How would you deal with it? Would you get on with your life? Or spend every day looking back?


	39. Chapter 1: Flashback

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 1: Flashback**_

It was early in the day, almost still the middle of the night as the sun was a few hours from rising.

In a nightclub in the center of downtown, the staff was cleaning up the mess from the night just past: spilt drinks, discarded napkins, and dirty glasses. Amongst the crew that was cleaning house was one individual sitting in one of the booths on the side; spread on the table were a batch of receipts and pages of bills and other financial statements. The loner was tapping numbers into a laptop, calculating the daily expenses and income; this was the price that was paid for being a business owner, as well as proprietor of the hottest nightclub in Baltesaria.

After typing in the last set of numbers from the receipts, the figure placed her reading glasses on the table and reached up to rub her eyes. Rouge wanted to sleep, and lucky for her, the night was almost over.

Running a nightclub was hard work, and it ran into the early hours of the morning, cleaning up from the previous night and preparing for the next night. Aside from cleaning and bookkeeping, she and the staff had to do inventory to make sure they had all they needed for tomorrow, because the day was the only chance they had to get any new stock. As long as the weekly shipments came in on time, they were plenty stocked and could retire early; but occasionally someone would have to collect some extra stock during the day. Thankfully, tonight was a night that the fridge was plenty stocked with alcohol and Rouge could go to bed early.

When all the work was done, Rouge packed up her computer and bid everyone farewell, until the afternoon when "Club Rouge" would open again for another night of dancing, drinking and a good time. Fortunately for the bat, she didn't have to go far; after locking up, she headed for her apartment, which was located above the club. That proved advantageous under these circumstances, but it also meant she couldn't take a day off, as whenever the club was open, she couldn't sleep.

= = =

Rouge opened the door of her apartment and flicked on the lights. This night was like almost every other night for the past year, very late and very tiring, which made her appreciate her lavish home as much as possible.

Her apartment was as large as the club itself, with light pink pastel walls in an open concept design that made the living space as wide open and warm as possible, in stark contrast to the black walls and neon lights of the club below. The den, dining room and kitchen were all connected as part of one large room, while the bedrooms and bathroom were the only rooms separated by walls on one side of the large condo.

As Rouge walked from the entrance to the door leading to her bedroom, she was slowly stripping off her clothes: her shoes, jacket, shirt, slacks, socks; when she reached her bedroom door, she was down to her bra and panties. Rouge entered her bedroom and came out a minute later wearing a silk bed coat. She walked over to the kitchen and got a glass of orange juice.

Morning was coming, and Rouge made it a habit to watch the new morning as the sun rose; owning a night club kept her awake in the night hours and she saw very little of the sun. Sure she was a bat, sure she was naturally nocturnal, but even she liked the warmth of the sun; so after a month of running the club, she made the oath to herself to see the sun rise every morning, even if it meant the end of the day instead of the beginning.

Rouge looked at the clock; it was after four, and it would be another hour or so before the sun rose. The bat sat down on her couch that faced a fireplace against the wall; reaching over, she grabbed a remote and pointed it at the brick structure, causing it to breathe to life with a quiet propane flame.

While sitting on the couch she wondered if she should turn on the television, or just watch the flickering flame while waiting for morning. The TV was a large plasma screen that Rouge had mounted into the ceiling that descended when she wanted to watch it, but at this hour there was little on but news, late night talk shows, infomercials and test patterns. Uninterested in that, Rouge sat and watched the fire.

As she watched the orange flame and drank her juice, she looked on the stone mantle and the pictures laid across it.

"Has it really been two years?"

Rouge placed the glass on her coffee table and walked over to the fireplace. On the mantle were pictures of her time back in Mobotropolis, most of which were dominated by four figures. One was Rouge, but the other three were people she had not seen in many months, a black furred hedgehog, a young rabbit, and a small baby. The bat picked up one picture that had all four in one image.

"I miss you guys so much; but then, you've got other things to deal with other than just thinking about little old me. Don't you?"

Rouge put the picture back, and glanced at the other images before letting out a deep sigh and returning to the couch.

"A lot has changed in two years, hasn't it? You're already expecting your second, I'll have to try and make it back for that one. Meanwhile, I'm here all by myself; my baby is a building with flashing lights and a large stock of booze. Sometimes I wonder why I really left. I've only seen you guys a couple of times since I left, and I miss you so much. I wonder what you'd think if I moved back, or if I just never came back at all."

Rouge laid back in her chair and closed her eyes, thinking back to all the times she had with Shadow and Bunnie.

To be continued


	40. Chapter 2: Challengers, Start your…

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 2: Challengers, Start your Engines**_

It was a bright summer morning a few years ago that life would take a turn to what it is know known. There was a time that it looked like she and Shadow would be together forever, and nothing could split them, but there was one little snag.

It was a new summer's day that Rouge found a deeply hidden truth, there was one other who wanted Shadow, who wanted him as much as Rouge did. When Rouge found out about Bunnie's feelings, she also found an intense hatred that was building against both her and the hedgehog. Neither would do, and the bat's warped mind concocted a plan to quickly nip it in the bud before it could blossom into something bad. Her solution, she'd let her have him.

For one day, Shadow was Bunnie's, for her to do with whatever she wanted. If she could convince Shadow to pick her over Rouge, the bat would leave and let the two live alone in peace.

When Rouge got back and faced the two down, it was quite the amusing sight to see Bunnie sleeping in Shadow's arms; equally funny was the reaction when she woke the pair.

When they settled down, Bunnie was still a bit shy and tried to hide what happened yesterday, even though Rouge was not easy to fool. She could smell them on each other, and figured it would be better to let things settle down, and perhaps more fun. Instead, she took Shadow away for a shower and let Bunnie alone for a while.

= = =

Rouge stepped out of the bathroom, wearing her bathrobe and wrapping a towel over her head.

"That feels so good; there's nothing like a hot shower after a night on the town, especially considering how boring this place is."

Shadow came up from behind, wearing another towel around his waist.

"I guess Queen Sally figured there were more important things to do than build a red light district."

"Of course, this whole place is filled with people who've lived in the forest for the last decade, they've forgotten how to party. And I'm just the gal to teach them how."

"What are you going to do? Teach them line dancing?"

"I got it, I'll open a club; I'll get a nice little spot in the middle of town and open the hottest spot this lazy little backwater excuse of a city has ever seen."

"If you've got strippers, I'll be there."

Rouge forced a laugh. "Ha ha. Not that kind of club, stupid; I mean a place with flashing lights, a polished floor, drinks for everybody's taste, and lots of dancing, fully clothed dancing."

=Yawn=

"You don't like my idea?"

"No I'm just tired, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I didn't get any and I'm not tired. I'm guessing someone had a wild party of their own last night."

"Too bad you weren't there."

"But I wasn't there, that was the point, you sick puppy."

"I'm going to lie down and get a few more hours, wake me around lunch hour."

Shadow pulled off the towel and slipped into bed.

"Fine, you sleep, I'm going downstairs for some breakfast."

= = =

Rouge walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. At the counter was Bunnie who was washing the dishes from her own meal a few minutes ago. On the way down, Rouge was considering what to get for her first meal of the day: eggs and bacon, jam on toast, or orange juice and a croissant? But what she saw in the kitchen gave her a slightly different idea.

It had been years since Rouge had last experienced romance with a girl, and after letting Bunnie have her way with Shadow yesterday, she wondered just how open the rabbit might be to something a little different.

Rouge tiptoed behind the unsuspecting lagomorph and wondered just how to approach her: rub her shoulders, a whisper in her long ears, or just reach out and grab her large bosom. Rouge grimaced as she got close and made her move; she reached down, and firmly grabbed Bunnie's ass, a cheek in each hand, and squeezed rather firmly.

Bunnie gasped when her rump was forcibly taken by the silent intruder. She dropped the plate she was washing back into the sink and moaned quite audibly as she let Shadow massage her behind.

Rouge continued, wondering how long she could go before Bunnie turned and saw whom it was, or before she gave in and revealed herself. As she pinched Bunnie's cheeks through the denim, she could feel the smooth round shape underneath, and that is was missing something; the lines that would mark where her panties covered her weren't there, she wasn't wearing any. She looked down at the round bottom, and wondered how often the rabbit didn't wear them; perhaps she never did, but to go bare-assed in tight denim. As she studied the large muscles, she looked to the right and could see a bit of white inside her right pocket, just a sliver at the edge of the blue fabric.

Bunnie was enjoying the sex therapy, and didn't want Shadow to stop, but she knew Rouge was in the house somewhere, and the last thing she wanted was for the bat to catch them in the act.

"Shadow, stop that, Rouge might…" Bunnie turned around to see that it wasn't her lover from last night squeezing her rump.

"Rouge?!"

"Are those your panties in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?"

Like most things Rouge said, Bunnie didn't realize the pun in the twisted line.

"What are yah doing, pinching mah butt like that?"

"Just a bit of fun, something which you and Shadow apparently had last night."

"That's none of your business." Bunnie was caught in between two feelings, embarrassment over Rouge's comments of her and Shadow's night, and violation over Rouge's butt probing.

"Oh knock it off, I could smell you all over him. You can try to clean up, but it takes more than changing the sheets to hide a late night romp." Rouge's tone changed slightly, from the probing third degree to a more playful tone, like that of a high schooler. "So come on, tell me the details."

"What?"

"You can't leave me in suspense, you've got to tell me what happened. Was it quiet and romantic with hugging and caressing, or was it totally dirty with screaming and grabbing and being tied down to the bed posts and…"

"What is the blazes are yah going on about. Why should I tell you anything?!"

"I let you have him last night, the least you could do is grant me some friendly chat."

"That's none of yah business."

"Maybe not, but I am interested." Rouge furled her brow. "If we are to be competitors."

"Are yah feeling the heat now that you've got someone else comin' after Shadow?"

"Oh please, you're just a naïve little country girl, who so far had one very likely boring night with him. I'm far more experienced in the ways of seduction, and can do things you would never dream of in a million years."

"Ah can do anythin' yah can do, su-gah. Shadow will be mine, so maybe yah should start packin'."

"Do you really think you can best me?"

"Ah can beat yah with mah hands tied behind mah back."

"Oh, you're into that are you?"

Again, as with many things that Rouge and Shadow said, it was a reference that Bunnie didn't get. Rouge giggled, realizing that Bunnie's naivety had kicked in again.

"Forget it, but you've got a lot of work to do if you think you can beat me to the altar."

That was a reference Bunnie understood.

"A race huh, yah seem to be stuck at the starting line."

Rouge had to admit, she and Shadow had been together for a long time, yet marriage was something that rarely came up. Until Bunnie came into the equation it just wasn't important; but now, marrying Shadow was the only way to seal the deal and defeat her new opponent.

"We'll then, it looks like a race to the church; are you ready?"

Bunnie had a better idea, she was tired of Rouge running the show, and decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Ah've got a better idea. If this is goin' tah be a battle in the bedroom, why not we go for the ultimate goal? The first he gets pregnant, gets him."

Rouge almost dropped dead at hearing that. "You want to what?"

For the past year and a half, Rouge and Shadow have been deliberately trying to withhold that particular outcome; now she was being challenged by a rabbit of all creatures to see who could procreate first. Even worse, this was Bunnie who was challenging her, the normally shy rabbit was now taking the initiative and trying to out maneuver Rouge at the love game.

{I've created a monster.}

On the one hand, it certainly felt like a trap, but deep inside, she wasn't about to argue. Rouge wouldn't let on to Bunnie, but if Shadow did get Bunnie pregnant, she'd be the first person on the wedding's guest list.

"Alright, I accept your challenge; may the best womb win."

"See yah _from_ the maternity ward."

The two reached out and shook hands, rather forcefully, each trying to demonstrate their resolve to win in the grip; in a test of strength, Bunnie won easily, but Rouge wouldn't let on that the rabbit was coming very close to crushing the small bones in her fingers. After a few good shakes, the women broke off.

Rouge placed her hands to her hips and stood in a sultry contraposto stance.

"Well now, are we to lay out some ground rules, or will it be a free for all?"

"'Rules'? Yah sure like to complicate things; what do yah think this is, some silly game?"

"Not at all, but I want to know what's considered sporting behavior. Would tying up your opponent and locking them in the closet be fair, or running interference while putting the moves on, or is every night going to be a ménage-à-trois and let the chips fall where they may?"

Bunnie didn't like how complex Rouge was making everything, didn't she understand that love was supposed to be simple: a boy and girl fall in love and that's the end of it. In reality, it was the whole scenario of trying to seduce Shadow into submission that unnerved her, these sex games of Rouge's were totally out of whack, and she had trouble really wrapping her mind around all of this mess. Then again, perhaps a few rules would be best; she didn't really trust Rouge in a knock-'em-down, drag-'em-out battle, so a few ground rules would make this more fair.

"O.K. then, we take turns, you get him one night, I get him the next."

"Sure."

"And no running interference. If it's my turn, you stay out."

"Can I at least watch?"

Bunnie was perturbed by Rouge's voyeurism, ignoring the fact that she once did the same thing to them while plotting her revenge against the bat. "What? No!"

"Aw, you're no fun, you should learn to be a bit more daring."

"And no funny stuff."

"Like trying to tire him out in the day so that he's completely exhausted that night?"

"Right."

Rouge leaned into Bunnie, causing her to lean back on the counter. Despite her effort to distance them, Bunnie could feel Rouge's breasts reaching down and pressing against hers.

"Like tying him to the bed and swatting him with a riding crop until he succumbs and pledges total loyalty?"

Bunnie stalled at hearing the weird S&M fetish, in her mind it was a mode of torture and couldn't even consider that there were people that enjoyed it; all she could see was Rouge in leather and studs sitting on top of a captive Shadow, whipping him with the implement.

"Absolutely out."

"And how about this?"

Rouge leaned in even more, far further than Bunnie was able. Before she could react, repel, or close her mouth, Rouge's face was right into Bunnie's, her lips pressed firmly against the rabbit's, and her tongue protruded inside her victim's. Bunnie was too startled to do anything right away, but after she came back to reality, she reached out and grabbed Rouge's arms. The bat held her tightly, keeping the kiss going on as long as possible, but Bunnie was stronger and eventually broke off.

"What the Hell was that?"

"It's called kissing. Or did you mean the tongue part? That's called 'French kissing' or 'Frenching'."

"No, I mean yah kissing me."

"You don't like kissing?"

"Two girls shouldn't kiss, that's disgusting!"

"You've never seen two girls kiss?"

"I've seen two girls kiss, but that was a friendly kiss on the cheek, never like that! That was a passionate kiss, between two people in love! Two girls can't love each other!"

"Of course they can."

"But… that's crazy! Besides, I love Shadow, not you."

"So do I. Don't you get it, Bunnie? We both love him, we both want to be with him for the rest of our lives; so why can't we?"

"What are yah saying, that we both have him?! That's not right!"

"Why? Who told you that? You have to think differently. Love doesn't care about who or why, it just does. There are people who love people that don't love back, there are girls who love other girls, and boys who love boys; but is any of that wrong? There are 80-year old men with 25-year old women, and middle-aged women chasing young boys. Just look at us; you're a rabbit, I'm a bat, and we're both chasing a hedgehog. We can't let silly things in the outside world tell us whom we can and can't love; love doesn't care for gender, race or age. O.K., so pedophilia is right out, but true love should not be denied."

Bunnie was a little flustered at Rouge's monologue, but was becoming entranced with her romantic talk. "What… what are you talking about?"

"We both love Shadow, but why should only one of us get him? If we could put aside our differences, if we could accept each other and our feelings, maybe we could share him, and maybe along the way, we could find something between ourselves."

"Between… us?"

"If we can accept each other, then maybe we can love each other."

"Love… you…"

Bunnie was dumbstruck, what Rouge was suggesting was totally out of left field; just moments ago she was standing down the bat, and now she was making this totally ludicrous offer. Just what was she up to; was she trying to totally sicken Bunnie, to scare her away with some weird sexual perversion; or was she trying to trap her and make her some kind of plaything. The whole thing was rather frightening, and Bunnie was finding herself in the same nervous predicament she had been in since she met Shadow, and after Rouge stepped in. Recently, she built up the courage she needed to finally confront Shadow, and actually have sex with him; she believed that is was her fear that kept them apart, and that it was something that would keep her down. Choking it all back, Bunnie decided, however foolish it might be, to play along.

"And if we were… to… you know?" Bunnie shook away the stubborn question and get straight to the heart of the matter. "Are you serious, do you really love me?"

"Bunnie, I'm not going to lie to you. I don't know if I love you or not, but since we both love Shadow, we could at least try." Rouge lifted her right hand and stroked Bunnie's ear. "And if it does work, we could make an interesting family."

Bunnie was still a little unsure, but after all that had happened, she went along with it. "So, what do we do?"

Rouge smiled, then undid the knot of her bathrobe, letting the two halves slip open. She reached up and tugged the towel off her head, letting it fall to the ground.

"Let's just start slowly."

Rouge moved on Bunnie again and engaged in another very hot and passionate kiss. While their lips were pressed together, Rouge's hands caressed Bunnie's body, and tugged at her clothes, enticing the rabbit to join in and strip down.

"In the meantime, I'm a bit hungry. I could go for a bit of rabbit for breakfast."

= = =

Bunnie couldn't believe what happened, just two hours ago she was facing down Rouge in the kitchen, and now she was in bed, with the bat, both naked. All the thoughts spun through her head of just how Rouge had manipulated her into this very weird scenario.

It was quite the ride that Rouge took her on, starting in the kitchen, then moving on to the heavy stuff when they moved to Bunnie's bedroom. Bunnie and Rouge did things that the rabbit didn't dare try with Shadow last night; some of it she simply didn't think of, others were things that she would have been repulsed to try, but somehow the bat managed to keep her calm enough to try them anyway.

As she laid there with Rouge seemingly motionless next to her, Bunnie considered just what would happen now. How would this encounter change her relationship with Shadow, it certainly changed how things were with the bat. Could what Rouge suggested really work? Could she love both Shadow and Rouge? Does the bat love her?

Bunnie turned to see Rouge there. In the dark, her eyes were closed and it looked like she was sleeping quietly; like that, she looked like an angel. Rouge was like a cupid that shot arrows of love to lost souls who drifted with no one to call their own. Over the last two days, she had somehow worked her magic on Bunnie, and found her not one, but two souls to share her heart with.

"Rouge?"

The bat didn't respond.

"I don't know what you did, but thank you."

"You're welcome."

Bunnie gasped when Rouge answered and smiled back at her. Rouge brought her arm up and rested her head on it, propping herself up and looking down a bit over Bunnie. The rabbit propped herself up as well by pulling her arms behind her and leaning on her elbows.

The two looked at each other for a moment before either spoke.

"So, what did you think?"

"It felt so weird. Have yah ever done this with other girls before."

"A few, back in college I once thought I was a full on lesbian. My roommate was gay, and when she and her girlfriend broke up, I kind of made out with her out of sympathy. It was alright for a while, but it didn't last, we were dating for all the wrong reasons."

"And what about this?"

"I suppose that this isn't much different; it's out of convenience, not true love. But I do want this to work, and I want to love you, I want us to be a family."

"This is not what Ah thought a family should be."

"I know it seems strange, but there are weirder things in this world than two women in love with the same man, or two women in love with each other."

"Maybe, but what about Shadow, how do yah have two girls who love the same man, _and_ each other."

"I suppose we could take turns, or just jump in to a little three way action."

"Yah mean all three of us, together, at the same time? How does that work?"

"Don't worry about it. Up until now you didn't know how two girls get it on, I can show you a few things about ménages."

"And Shadow, would he go along with it?"

"If Shadow is like most guys, he'd love the idea of having two girls at the same time."

"You bet I would."

The two girls shot up and looked towards the door where Shadow was standing there watching the two. They had no idea how long the hedgehog might have been there, but it didn't matter; even though they were talking about a threesome with the black one, now was not the time they intended for it.

Bunnie screamed.

Rouge picked up her pillow and tossed it at him. "You sick pervert!"

= = =

Rouge smiled while she remembered that day, breaking just long enough to open her mouth and drink the last of the orange juice.

To be continued


	41. Chapter 3: Little Changes

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 3: Little Changes**_

Rouge got up and looked out the window, not that there was anything there, she just wanted to look out at the world that would soon be waking up. This was the most peaceful time of day, before most people were up, and after even the latest night owls were gone home. It was at this time that the party was over, and work was coming. It was a reminder that not all hours of the day were a party, even in a 24-hour city.

As Rouge walked back to the couch to watch the fire again, she remembered that her time in Mobotropolis, wasn't always fun and games; sometimes, there were quiet moments, times that the seriousness and reality of her relationships were brought into the open for retrospective.

= = =

It was some months after their first night as a threesome that the first big change came to their new family; it was quite the shock when Shadow came home and told them what Sally wanted. A visitor from a nearby land came and told them of a serious problem, and wanted Shadow to come and help them solve it. Rouge and Bunnie had no idea how long Shadow would be gone for, but they weren't ready for how lonely they would be.

It had only been two weeks, but they were lonely weeks. Rouge and Bunnie knew they would miss Shadow while he was gone, but even in each other's company, neither really knew what emptiness and longing they would feel. Of course, they had each other, but that was scarcely enough; they loved each other, and the three of them made an interesting ensemble, but Shadow was the linchpin, and their love triangle was held together more by their respective connection to him than to each other.

For those first few nights, they were getting along as well as before Shadow's departure; Bunnie was getting a kick out of the various things that Rouge knew that did not bear revealing with a male in the room, and others that were meant as practice for when Shadow returned. But after a week, things calmed down, way down. On the seventh day, Bunnie retreated to her room and slept in her own bed, instead of sharing the master bed with the bat; who in turn didn't seem to mind the break in the action. For the next few days, the pair spoke casually with each other whenever they met, while sitting down to breakfast, or passing in a hallway; other than that, the pair were growing distant.

Each morning, Rouge would wake up and come downstairs to the kitchen, there she found Bunnie who already had breakfast ready for the both of them, but the rabbit had little time for any chit chat, she ate quickly and was out the door before Rouge could even touch her toast.

Rouge was getting tired of the animosity that was developing between her and Bunnie, but there was little she could do; Shadow was the glue of this family, and there was little that the two girls had in common otherwise.

= = =

It was another day just like the last few that Rouge came downstairs. Today, she got up a bit earlier, she wanted to catch Bunnie before she left for work.

"Good morning."

"Mornin'. Yah up early today."

"Early to rise, early to bed, and… uh, something about good health."

"Early tah bed and early tah rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

"I knew it was something like that."

"Ah'll have breakfast ready in a minute, I usually put yours on after mine because yah sleep in a bit."

"Me sleep in? You're the farmer who gets up at the crack of dawn."

"Maybe yah should go out and get a job instead of just hanging out around here."

"I have a job, I'm the one who does the shopping and generally keeps this place clean. Getting a 'real' job would cut into my free time."

"Ah bet that's a real life that yah have."

"You have a point. I was thinking of starting a little business of my own: a little hot spot downtown, a place for people to go to party in the evening and late into the night. For a city to not have a night life is a real tragedy."

"If anyone is going to show people how to have fun at night, it'd have to be yah."

"I do believe that was a snipe."

"Take it as yah…" Bunnie twitched her head a bit. "…will."

"You alright?"

"Fine, just a bit of a cold."

"They've been working you too hard on the fields, dearie."

"Hard work is good for yah; it builds character as well as the body."

Rouge was going to continue with a snide remark, but she stopped herself when she realized that this wasn't the morning conversation she woke up early for.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"For us, for how things have been the last two weeks."

"Yah mean since Shadow left."

"It's more than that. Ever since I got you involved in this 'three-way' idea, I could tell that you were never fully comfortable with it. It was always you-Shadow-me or me-Shadow-you, we never really connected. I guess I don't really love you; at least, not like this."

"Ah'm sorry too. I couldn't bring mahself to tell yah that before."

"Well then, friends?"

"Friends."

"…sitting down for a friendly chat."

"…eating a friendly breakfast."

Bunnie had finished preparing the morning meal and brought over two plates of food. As Bunnie laid the plate in front of Rouge, she looked up and saw the rabbit's face lacked her normal youthful appearance, replaced with the look of death incarnate.

"Speaking of 'healthy, wealthy and wise', you don't seem too much of the former. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, just a bit of sinus trouble."

"A bit of sinus trouble, perhaps nausea? I think you should see a doctor."

"It's not serious, I just feel a little tired, that's all."

Rouge wasn't convinced, and didn't want to leave Bunnie alone in her misery. "I'm taking you to the doctor's tomorrow."

Bunnie was about to argue, but Rouge wouldn't let up.

"Don't argue, just stay home from work, get some rest, and we'll see Dr. Quack tomorrow. Now let's get you right up to bed; I'll fly out to the farms and tell them you're out sick for a few days, while you rest."

= = =

Bunnie was feeling better the next day, but Rouge wasn't satisfied, and dragged the rabbit to the hospital anyway. After a few minutes, Bunnie was in an examination room and dressed in a simple white paper gown. Rouge was sitting in the room, like she was the rabbit's mother, while the doctor was poking and prodding Bunnie from several directions, sticking probes of all shapes and sizes in every hole and cavity that she had.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Hush, let the doctor do his job."

"Yah're not mah mother." Bunnie turned to the doctor. "Is this going to take long? Ah've got work to do, and Ah feel fine."

"You sure didn't look fine yesterday; just forget about work and humor me, I'd hate it if you dropped dead from some weird tropical disease."

Rouge sat there while the doctor was examining Bunnie; although she awaited the official results, she had a feeling deep in her gut as to the outcome, a situation where women's intuition was never wrong.

The doctor had finished his exam and checked his notes again. "Alright, we're all done here. Bunnie, there's nothing wrong."

The rabbit looked over to Rouge. "Ah told you."

Rouge ignored Bunnie; she knew in her gut that there was nothing wrong, but that wasn't the whole story.

The doctor finished his analysis. "Bunnie, I'm almost certain that you are pregnant."

As the duck spoke the last word, Rouge mouthed it as if she was lip-syncing the doctor; it was exactly what she predicted.

"Ah'm… pregnant?"

"Congratulations. I figure you're in the middle of the 1st trimester, the nausea you felt yesterday will probably come back a few times over the next few months. You'll also be putting on weight pretty soon, I'd suggest against 'eating for two'; you're having a baby, not bulking up for professional wrestling."

"Right."

"I have some pamphlets with some info, and if you have any questions you can always drop in. Nurse Mina is a trained midwife, she can help you with any problems."

"Thanks."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off for a round of 18."

"18? You mean golf? There's no golf course around here except… the mini-golf?"

"I have to practice my putts, now if only they had a driving range around here."

The doctor left Bunnie and Rouge, and the rabbit changed back to her normal clothes. Watching the duck leave, Rouge whispered. "What a quack."

The bat turned to the half dressed Bunnie. "Scared?"

"A little bit, Ah've never been pregnant before."

"No kidding." Rouge smiled at the moronic statement. "C'mon, I've heard that Tikal is here; if she hasn't gone into labor yet, maybe you can talk. I'm sure that she'd have some good advice, better than him."

= = =

"Hi Tikal, hanging in there?"

Tikal looked over to the two visitors. "I'm doing alright, the contractions have been coming quickly, but it's not too bad yet."

Bunnie was looking at the echidna's state with concern. "How much longer are yah going tah be like that?"

"No idea, these two are the ones in the driver's seat."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really; it's more uncomfortable than painful, but that'll change soon enough."

Tikal could see the distant and worrisome expression on Bunnie's face.

"Is something wrong?"

"What, who me? No Ah'm fine."

"I may be uncomfortable, but I'm not delirious with pain, I can tell you've got something on your mind."

"Oh it's nothing serious, but Ah…"

Rouge could see how much trouble Bunnie was having talking about her pregnancy, the result of the fear of the labor pains. "She's just worrying herself over what's coming 6 or 7 months down the road."

"6 or 7… Bunnie, are you expecting?"

Bunnie was a little shy to answer, not fully believing it herself. "Well, kind of."

"Oh come on, you can't be 'kind of' pregnant."

Rouge wasn't about to wait for Bunnie to stammer out an answer. "We just saw the doctor about half an hour ago, and that's the prognosis."

"Well, there you go; I'm very happy for you."

"Uh, thanks."

"You don't sound very happy."

"Ah'm just scared, that's all."

Bunnie was trying to keep from fidgeting around, but Tikal could easily see it.

"Motherhood is not something to be scared of. What is it? Are you concerned about the pain? Are you worried that you won't be a good mother?"

"Ah don't know, it's just that everything is changing so fast."

All sorts of thoughts had been running through the rabbit's head, she was going to be a mother, she was going to go through a lot of change and a lot of pain over the coming months, but it was also going to change everything about her life and her future. It wasn't the pregnancy that scared her the most, it was what life would be like with a baby, and what affect it would have on her and Shadow. Just what would Shadow be like as a father; she knew that Shadow had a hidden dark streak, but she had never seen it, she could only hope that it would never arise around their child. The closest thing to his "dark" side was the way he acted sometimes in bed, in private with only him, her, and Rouge.

Bunnie glanced at Rouge, this whole time, she hadn't even considered what Rouge was going through. Just what would she do? There was the bet that the two girls had going: whoever got pregnant first would get Shadow. Would Rouge be so willing to let him go? Did Bunnie actually want to let Rouge go? All these questions were making her sick to her stomach, or maybe that was part of the morning sickness.

Tikal could see that Bunnie was tying herself up in knots. "Bunnie, I'm not a mother yet, but I'll give you some advice. Don't worry, that will only make things worse. When the time comes, let your instincts kick in; they'll do the work, and you'll do fine."

"Ah suppose your right."

"Of course she's right, you'll do fine. Besides, it's not like you'll be raising him all by yourself."

"I'm sure Shadow will be a good father." Tikal grinned wide. "Shadow will be totally floored when he hears this."

Rouge brought her hands up in a stop motion. "Woah, hold it. Would you not tell him."

"You don't want me to tell him?"

"No, we want to tell him when he gets back."

"I think Shadow has a right to know." Tikal nodded her head. "O.K., I won't spill the beans."

The door opened and Knuckles walked in, carrying a brown paper bag.

Rouge looked at the red echidna. "You've got some nerve showing your face around here after what you did."

"What?"

"Don't act dumb, you know what we're talking about."

"You're crazy."

Tikal saw the plain brown wrapper. "Is that my lunch?"

"Right here, hun."

Rouge continued her silly 3rd degree. "Ah ha! Trying to bribe a witness, this doesn't look good for you."

Bunnie had no idea what Rouge was going on about, she wasn't sure if Rouge knew what she was doing. "What are yah going on about?"

"Hush, I'm very close to getting a confession."

Knuckles rolled his eyes into his head. "What brings you two here anyway."

"Are you saying we can't visit a friend just because she's also your wife?"

"Only if you're going to keep acting stupid."

"If you're going to behave like that, we're not telling you."

Tikal was unwrapping the bag. "Bunnie's pregnant."

"Hey! Why'd you tell him that?"

"Because he's my husband."

Rouge was faux pouting. "Oh, that excuse."

"So, Shadow finally did it; funny how it's not you he knocked up."

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

Knuckles paid Rouge no more attention and sidestepped towards Bunnie. "Congratulations, how long will it be?"

"A fair bit, Ah'm only a couple of months in."

"I'm sure you'll make a great mother. As for the father, if that jerk steps out of line, you call me and I'll gladly straighten him out."

Tikal had just taken a bite of her lunch and spoke through her food. "Dear, that's a horrible thing to say."

Rouge sniffed the air as an odd odour filled the room. "What is that?"

"My sandwich, pastrami and limburger on rye."

"Limburger?!"

"Some girls crave pickles and ice cream, others like fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, I like rank cheese."

The bat could feel her eyes watering. "Well, we had better be going; we have to get some shopping done. Enjoy your lunch."

"What do we have tah get?"

"Pickles and ice cream; if you're going to be having any cravings, it'll be for something normal."

As the pair were about to leave, Tikal called out to them. "Bunnie, I wish you luck with the baby, and I know that'll you'll make a fine mother. And one more thing; congratulations."

Rouge and Bunnie left, leaving Tikal and Knuckles.

"How are you doing, my dear?"

"I'm alright, but now I'm a bit worried."

"What is it, the babies?"

"No, it's about Shadow. Bunnie's pregnant and they don't want me to tell him yet, but he's far away and in the middle of a war zone." Tikal sighed. "Sonic died without knowing that Sally was carrying his son, I don't want that to happen to Shadow."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I haven't decided."

= = =

After a quick visit to the nearby grocery store, Bunnie and Rouge returned home with their arms full of bags; in the kitchen, the pair put the groceries away. While rummaging through the bags, Rouge pulled out a large jar of pickles.

"Care for one now, or are you going to wait?"

Bunnie sighed, she heard about the stupid stereotype: pickles and ice cream.

Rouge put the pickles away, and went back to the rest of the groceries.

"Well then, do we start moving today, or wait until tomorrow?"

"What do yah mean? Move where?"

"Rooms, you're going to be living in the master bedroom now, and I'll take your room. That little cubicle of yours is hardly big enough for you and Shadow."

"Oh, yeah."

Rouge smirked. "I guess this is a lot to take in all in one day. We'll do it tomorrow, but you might as well get used to it; we'll switch rooms tonight, and move our stuff tomorrow."

A barrage of images raced through the rabbit's head, she would be spending the rest of her life with Shadow, with a child, probably with other children after that. Up until now she never really considered what it would really be like, she was always caught up in the here and now.

= = =

That night, Bunnie was standing in front of the large bed in the master bedroom, wearing a white silk nightgown that Rouge picked out for her some months ago, ready for a night's sleep that she believed would not come at all. She lied restless in bed, her mind muddled with all the dreams and fears of the future rushing at her and crashing like a train wreck.

As she looked at the ceiling that bore the same white tiles that her room had, she wondered if it was such a good idea to switch rooms; right now, she wanted to be back in her normal bed instead of the large and empty master bed that she would be sharing with Shadow from this point on.

A knock was heard at the door. "Bunnie, can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Rouge entered the room and came up to the bed with the small figure of the rabbit looking completely out of place on the giant mattress.

"How are you doing?"

"Ah feel a bit queasy."

Rouge pulled up the side of her pink lace nightie and sat on the side of her bed.

"Is that the baby, or the butterflies?"

"Ah think the later."

"You need to calm down, all this worrying will tie your stomach in knots, and it won't be good for the baby either."

"Ah know, but it's all so much."

"I'm right here; if you want to talk about this or anything, I'm more than willing to lend an ear."

"Thank yah, but right now Ah'm just scared out of mah mind."

"Then tell me what scares you the most."

"When Ah saw Tikal in the hospital, Ah thought the pain would be bad. Then Ah started to think about what it would be like to have a child and if Ah'd make a good mother. But while lying in this bed, I began to realize that Ah'm here facing this alone."

"You feel alone?"

"This bed, it's so lonely, being here by mahself in this big huge bed. Yah said this bed is for me and Shadow, but he's not here, he's off on some crazy mission many miles away. I don't know where he is right now, or when he's getting back." Bunnie started to cry, and choked in her tears. "What if, what if he doesn't come back? What if he dies? What if Ah'm left to raise the baby by mahself?"

This was a fear that Rouge knew all to well, she was raised by just her mother. "Bunnie, until Shadow returns, and he _will_ return, I'll be here for you; I'll be the loving 'husband' that you need at your side until he comes home. And you can bet your life that when he comes back, the two of you will live a happy and long life together. You're not alone, you'll never be alone, I promise it to you."

"Thanks."

Rouge looked down at Bunnie lying in the large bed and gingerly brushed away her hair.

"In the meantime, I've done some wild things in my time, but I've never made out with a pregnant woman before. So move over."

"Ah've got a better idea: why don't we go downstairs, Ah've got a hankerin' for a late night snack."

= = =

Rouge smiled when she remembered that day. She thought some strange thoughts: What would have happened if she was the one who got pregnant? Although Rouge admitted defeat rather graciously to Bunnie, would the rabbit have reacted the same? Would she force Bunnie away, or let her tag around as a mistress or something? What if neither of them got pregnant; or worse, what if they both got pregnant? Rouge could just see the odd result of that, the large cathedral, hundreds of visitors, and at the front of the procession, a black hedgehog sandwiched between a bat and a rabbit, both wearing ornate wedding gowns, both with their bellies stretched out and squeezing him in.

{That'd be some wedding.}

To be continued


	42. Chapter 4: The Wedding

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 4: The Wedding**_

{That _was_ some wedding.}

= = =

"Knock knock."

The door opened without getting the permission that was thought automatic by the entrant.

"Are you ready?"

Rouge poked her head in the ajar door and looked inside. Standing in front of a huge ornate mirror was the girl of the day. Bunnie only twisted her head slightly to acknowledge Rouge's presence, instead of turning around to see her.

"Oh, hi, yeah, Ah'm just finishing up."

Rouge walked in and closed the door behind her. Rouge wasn't wearing her normal outfit, but was instead wearing a woman's dress business suit, colored a light purple with black trim; she looked like she was off to a big meeting instead of a bar that her leather jumpsuit implied, but the bat's wardrobe was nothing compared to the rabbit's.

Bunnie was facing the mirror, looking at herself in the long white gown that shined in the bright lights of the dressing room; it was decorated with white lace patterns of flowers all over the bell shaped dress. The top half was made of the smoothest silk and came up past her chest and under her arms, completely covering the round bubbles of her breasts and her belly. Her arms were covered from her shoulders to her knuckles by more white silk that started the trip from a large frilly pillow of silk wrapped around her shoulder that clipped to the halter just under the arms. To finish the ensemble, a veil was laid on her head with her ears tucked underneath it; a long train ran down her back and almost three feet past the floor, and a piece of semi transparent white was crudely folded over her head, instead of down her face.

"You look beautiful, honey." Rouge turned to an attendant who was helping dress up the bride. "A nice job, Hershey. Would you let us be alone for a bit?"

The cat bowed without a word and quietly left the two alone.

"You look magnificent." Rouge whispered while she fluffed up Bunnie's shoulders.

"Thanks."

"You make such a pretty little bride."

The bat sighed, a few images swimming through her head, plotting out the rest of the evening, or wondering how she would appear in the pure white garment, with or without the extra load.

"Are yah alright?"

"Oh yeah, just fine. But this is your day, so don't worry about me."

"Right."

"You don't sound too happy, anything you want to tell me? You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

"No, but Ah've got a weird feeling in my stomach, and its not the baby. Just some butterflies, that's all."

"I guess that's to be expected; getting married is a big change. After today, nothing will be the same."

"Married life, motherhood, Ah hope Ah'll be alright. Yah think Ah can do a good job, right?"

"Of course, I know that you'll be an awesome mother. And you'll have Shadow with you; I know he seems gruff at times, but he has a good heart under that garish exterior."

"And what about yah, yah've been growing more distant lately."

"Me? Well…" Rouge was hesitating the moment that she'd have to reveal her plans to Shadow and Bunnie. She had talked with Shadow earlier, he was easy; but with how timid and emotional Bunnie was, Rouge wasn't sure how to break it to her. "I'll be leaving."

"Yah're leaving?"

"Yeah, you don't need me around."

"Yah mean yah'll get your own house, and…"

"No, I mean I'm leaving Mobotropolis."

Bunnie's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"Bunnie, I can't stay here, it's time I left and found a new life of my own; to leave you and Shadow alone."

"Yah can't leave."

"Bunnie, what the three of us had was unique, and very special; but once kids enter the picture, things start getting… complicated. It's for the best that I leave."

"But Ah owe yah so much. It's because of yah that Ah had the nerve to tell Shadow how Ah felt about him."

"I'm sure you would have told him if I wasn't around."

"But yah've been so helpful over the last few months, and Ah've learned so much from yah. Like how tah act like a mature woman, how tah drive, and how sexy an open men's shirt and a thong are."

Rouge giggled. "I'm glad to hear I've been such a good teacher, but at some point a student has to go out on her own. It's time for this teacher to let you go."

"Is it the bet? Is that why yah're leaving?"

"No Bunnie, it goes far beyond that; there's no way I'd do something like this over a stupid bet." Rouge was starting to remember the bet she made with Bunnie many months ago, and exactly what was going through her mind when she made it.

"Then Ah'm not going through with this."

"W-what?"

"Ah don't want yah to leave because of me; how can Ah get married if it means losing one of the best friends Ah've ever had."

"Bunnie, you're not thinking right; Shadow is more important than I am, you can't just throw this away." Rouge was starting to get teary eyed and had to sniffle back a drop. "You'll get married, raise a nice little family, and you'll love each other until 'death do you part'."

By now, Rouge was crying.

"Rouge?"

Rouge shook her off. "It's… it's nothing."

"What is it?"

The bat took in one big sigh to shake herself back. "I never told you, did I; I told Shadow a while ago. When I was young, my father… ran out on me. He left my mother alone to raise me, and I never saw him since; I don't even remember what he looks like, I was just too young. He walked out on us, and it was hard. My mom struggled to raise me, to give me a good home, often relying on handouts from the neighbours; half the time I'd sleepover at a friend's house, because my mom was working late at some drab minimum wage job."

Rouge took Bunnie by her arms. "Now you listen; you're going to marry Shadow, and he's going to be a great husband to you, and father to your child."

Rouge reached up to Bunnie's head and pulled the veil over her face.

"What's this thing for?"

"It's tradition. The groom is not supposed to see the bride on the day of the wedding before they're married; it's bad luck, and in this day and age, a couple needs all the help they can get."

Rouge stepped back and looked at the rabbit. "There, you're perfect."

"Thanks."

"Now, the bridesmaids should be here in a minute, and I got Geoffrey to give you away, so he'll walk you down the aisle. He's with Shadow now, I'll have to go get him."

"Uh, Rouge?"

"Yes?"

"Why aren't you mah bridesmaid?"

Rouge took a deep breath before answering. "There's an old saying, 'always a bridesmaid, never a bride'. I promised myself a long time ago that I would be the bride, never a maid."

Bunnie didn't understand the answer. "What does that mean?"

"I hate coming in second. I hate being a little peon for a queen. I've had this fear that if I ever accepted being anything less that number 1, that'd I'd never get my chance. I've lived my life in the gutter and it took a lot of work to go get where I am, and I never wanted to be pulled down again."

Truth be told, Rouge didn't understand her answers either. She was making all this up because the thought of being the bridesmaid at Shadow's wedding instead of the bride was tearing her apart; but she wouldn't dare let that on to anyone, especially Bunnie.

"So yah wanted tah plan the wedding instead?"

"Hey, I love the power; bridesmaids don't give orders, but the wedding planner has everyone following their every word. Besides, I look horrible in seafoam green."

"We could have picked another color."

"Are you kidding, the first role of the bridesmaids is to make the bride look ravaging, by wearing crap that no one would be caught dead in."

Bunnie laughed.

"That's what I wanted to hear. This is the best day of your life, it should be the happiest, not the saddest."

"Then why are yah crying?"

"I just get so emotional at weddings. Now you go out there, and knock 'em dead, kiddo."

Rouge wiped a tear away as she turned away from Bunnie one last time, and went out the door.

Bunnie stood there, alone, awaiting her entourage. "So, Ah'm finally going through with this; Ah'm going to marry him."

= = =

Rouge walked down the hall. "So, I'm finally going through with this; I'm going to give him up."

= = =

The large hall in the east wing of the palace was completely packed; rows upon rows of seats were crammed with people from the city and a few visiting dignitaries.

The entire hall was painted white, just for the occasion, with large pink bows and ribbons tied between the columns that ran along the left and right sides of the large room; the columns themselves were also for decoration, made of plastic that were installed just for today. Running up the middle of the hall was a strip of red that started at a podium at the front and led out of the hall on the other end.

Standing at the podium was Queen Sally, wearing her gold crown and a large purple robe with gold trimming at the ends of the sleeves and the bottom; she was waiting for the ceremony to start, occasionally chatting with Shadow who was standing in front of the podium. The hedgehog was unusually dressed in an icy white tuxedo instead of just running shoes and gloves.

Rouge was sitting up front right just behind Knuckles who was standing at attention as the ring bearer; in the seat next to her was Tikal, each of them were holding one of the echidna's twin girls.

"It's beautiful, Rouge. You've really outdone yourself; our wedding was nowhere near as lavish as this."

"Thanks, but Sally is footing the bill, so that left a lot of room for excessiveness."

"But at least you kept it from turning gaudy."

"If I wanted gaudy, we'd be in Vegas with an Elvis impersonator performing the ceremony."

"I've heard of those; a justice of the peace and wedding singer all in one. You should be very proud, but tell me, why is Shadow wearing a white tuxedo? Isn't the traditional color supposed to be black?"

"And under normal circumstances I would have gone with black, but Shadow's fur was darker than any fabric we could find; even the blackest tuxedo in the city looked gray compared to him. So I went with white. I suppose I could have made Bunnie's wedding dress black to complement it, but I didn't want her to look like the bride of Frankenstein."

Rouge looked past Knuckles to Shadow who was standing there patiently, like a statue that couldn't move. Even though she was right there, he made no attempt to talk to her. The two had already spoken, and it was quick and to the point. They talked about the good times they had, Rouge said she was leaving, and they wished each other good luck. In a way it made them a perfect pair, they almost instinctively knew each other inside and out; but for them to part ways, it was unbearable. Rouge had this feeling of emptiness that there was something more that needed to be said, but it was all laid out, and no more words were left on either's tongue. If only he could have been more stubborn like Bunnie, never really accepting what fate had in store; even though there were things left to be said, both Rouge and Bunnie had talked to their peace and were satisfied.

As Rouge looked on, a wailing instrument churned in the background, wafting a familiar theme in the air. The entire congregation silenced very quickly, and all eyes turned to the rear. At the back of the room two people slowly walked through the main door. Right in the center of the aisle was the girl of the day, wearing the beautiful wedding gown that flowed from the form to the floor. Bunnie was holding a large bouquet of white and red roses before her and had her right arm hooked out and held by Geoffrey, who was also wearing a black tuxedo.

As the pair came out, more people could be seen behind the bride. There was Amy and three other girls, all wearing the same odd green colored dresses, each with a large bouquet of red roses. When the four bridesmaids entered the hall, one more came in; a small character in a bight white and red dress with a basket of flower petals. The flower girl picked out bits of flora and scattered them wherever she stepped. It all looked perfect, except the flower girl had a very odd complexion; her face was made of metal with glowing yellow eyes and a fiery red mouth that was locked in a perpetual smile.

The whole entourage took two minutes to fully walk down the long aisle. When they reached the end, Geoffrey moved to one side to allow Bunnie to approach the podium and take her position next to the groom; the bridesmaids and the flower robot stood a few feet back as well. Bunnie stood in position, not shifting her head from straight forward; she didn't move until Sally started her spiel, for which Bunnie turned her head to see the Queen through the veil.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of this hedgehog and this rabbit in the bonds of holy matrimony. It is a sacred vow that Shadow and Bunnie shall make to declare their undeniable love for each other and to recognize that they are incomplete without the other. Their union, is a reminder to all that have come before and all that shall come after, that no one walks on this world alone. If there is anyone here today that has any reason that these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Sitting in the front row, Rouge froze; this moment was what she feared the most, for it was clinch time, for herself. Rouge had a horrible number of butterflies in her stomach; even though she worked so hard for this wedding, secretly she almost wanted everything to come crashing down. She wanted Shadow for herself and almost couldn't contain herself from jumping up and screaming "No, he'll marry me instead!" As she sat there, there was only one thing that she could think of otherwise.

{Damn it Sally, what are you waiting for?}

Rouge was squirming in her seat, while silence filled the air.

"Shadow, do you take this rabbit to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to honor, for as long as you both shall live?"

Shadow took in one very quick breath and reached into his gut to force out the words without hesitation.

"I do."

"And do you, Bunnie, take this hedgehog as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to honor, for as long as you both shall live?"

Rouge looked intently at Bunnie while waiting for the answer; each micro-instant between Sally's question and Bunnie's answer seemed to pass like days.

{C'mon Bunnie, don't do anything stupid now.}

Bunnie took a breath as she prepared to answer, but Rouge was counting her heartbeats; with everyone silent, it was all she could hear.

"Ah do."

Rouge let out a breath of relief with a fairly audible sigh, or at least she heard it. Rouge wondered if anyone else heard her, but even if they did, no one around seemed to shift their focus from the activity at hand. Certainly Sally didn't notice, as she continued the ceremony.

"The rings please."

Knuckles brought two gold rings and handed them to Sally, who distributed them to Shadow and Bunnie.

"Shadow, repeat after me. 'With this ring…'"

"With this ring…"

"I solemnly swear my eternal loyalty and love to you."

Shadow placed the ring on Bunnie's extended finger.

"I solemnly swear my eternal loyalty and love to you."

"Bunnie, repeat after me. 'With this ring…'"

Bunnie choked a bit, but recited the line with a clear voice. "With this ring…"

"I solemnly swear my eternal loyalty and love to you."

Bunnie placed the ring on Shadow's extended finger.

"I solemnly swear my eternal loyalty and love to you."

"Then by the power vested in me, as high monarch of the kingdom of Mobotropolis, do announce you as husband and wife; and may no one question or deny your bond. You may now kiss the bride."

Shadow and Bunnie turned towards each other. Shadow reached up and pulled the veil over Bunnie's head. There she was, Mrs. Shadow the Hedgehog, the lovely belle that he was now tied to for the rest of eternity. He had seen that face so many times, he had loved her for many months, but now it was all different, now they were married.

He leaned forward and down and she tilted her head up as their lips came together, for what was definitely not the first time, but it seemed like the first.

= = =

"It's a shame that you're leaving us." Sally was in the front of the palace, seeing Rouge off; she was accompanied by Comet, who was now walking about, with a little help from a balancing hand from mom.

Rouge made one stop in front of the castle to say goodbye to the queen, and to pick up her long overdue payment.

"Are you just saying that because I'm taking a chunk of the treasury with me." Rouge closed the trunk of her car, filled to the top with gold and jewels; there was nary a free cubic inch for even the smallest handbag.

"Are you sure it can handle the weight."

"Of course, she's a custom job; built for speed, strength and style. I could drop a ton of bricks on her and not even scratch the paint."

"Gee, why would you need a vehicle like that? How often do you get to test the shocks?"

"Some advice to you, your highness; being snide is unbecoming a monarch, and you're not very good at it."

"I do recall pulling a good one on you when we first met."

"Oh right, I ended up with mud on my face, and a metal spike in my belly; lot of laughs there." Rouge had a brief laugh. "I'm gonna miss you, your highness."

"And what about Shadow and Bunnie? You're not going to wait until they get back?"

"I've said my goodbyes at the reception. It's best I get out of their way; I don't want to be a burden, or worse. If I don't leave now, I'll never gather the courage needed to do this." Rouge decided that there was no point crying over spilt milk, and it was time to lay out her future. Rouge leapt over the door and slid into the driver's seat. "Well, that's it; I'm off. Sally it was certainly something special."

"I hope everything works well for you."

"With that cash, I can buy happiness."

Sally smiled, then looked down. "You want to say 'goodbye'?"

The queen reached down and picked up Comet. "Say 'goodbye' to Rouge."

"Babye."

Rouge giggled. "Babye."

The bat waved to the toddler before Sally set him back on the ground. Sally pulled Comet away from the car as Rouge started the engine. She gave one last nod to Sally as the car pulled out. From that point on, Rouge didn't look behind her, she didn't turn her head or glance in the rearview mirror; there was only one thing Rouge wanted to see and that was the road before her.

= = =

Leaving Mobotropolis was one of the hardest things Rouge ever did, second only to remembering that dark day.

How ironic that the best day in Shadow and Bunnie's life was the worst in Rouge's. The bat loved those two so much, but deeply hated them for this one event; and she hated herself even more for even thinking such vile things.

To be continued


	43. Chapter 5: With Missed Opportunities…

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 5: With Missed Opportunities comes Eternal Regret**_

Rouge glanced outside; the sky was still dark, but the stars were disappearing, signaling that the sun was fast approaching. A look at the clock showed it was now 5 o'clock. Once again, her mind wandered to thoughts of Mobotropolis; this time to memories taken in absentia.

"Aaahh!"

"Hang on there, you're doing fine."

Bunnie was lying in a hospital bed, and at her side was the peach echidna.

"Where's Shadow?!"

"He'll be here, I only just contacted him, even he isn't that fast. Just calm down, I know exactly what you're going through, I had twins remember."

"Unless yah're having them right now, shut up!"

"This is great." Off in a corner, Omochao was watching the action, recording it for prosperity. "The tension, the energy, the struggle; this is what great television is all about."

"If yah don't stop with the stupid comments, Ah'm gonna get off this table, and rip out all yah circuits!"

Tikal laid her hand on Bunnie's head and wiped her brow. "Bunnie, calm down, this'll be over soon enough."

"But it hurts so much, Ah feel like Ah'm gonna faint."

"Just hang in there."

The door opened and a nurse escorted another person guised in surgical garb.

"Right in here."

"Bunnie?"

Shadow came in the door and moved to Bunnie's side.

"Shadow, yah're finally here." Bunnie reached her hand out and the hedgehog took it; she squeezed it hard as her calm voice turned to pure evil. "Where the Hell were you?!"

"I got here as fast as I could, then they got me to put this stuff on."

Tikal noticed a unique feature of Shadow's costume. "What is that on your head?"

"Those stupid paper hats wouldn't fit over my spines so they wrapped a towel over my head instead; that delayed me by a couple of minutes."

"You're here now, that's all that's important."

"If yah'll are done talkin' about hospital fashion, can we turn our attention back tah me? Ah'm the one with a baby ripping out of mah bottom."

Tikal and Shadow both apologized.

"On the other hand, that towel on yah head does look pretty stupid, it's like yah just came out of the shower."

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk about the way I'm dressed."

Bunnie did not like being contradicted by her husband, and gave him a squeeze to remind him.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Ah'm not in the mood for jokes right now."

"Sorry, I'm just trying to help you calm down."

"Bunnie, you can't allow yourself to get stressed out." Tikal spoke in her eternally calm voice. "It won't do you any good and it's not good for the baby."

Bunnie sighed and flopped back into her pillow, she was so stressed out, and not in the most comfortable position possible on a bed with such a thin mattress that she cold feel the steel that made up the frame.

From under the sheet that covered Bunnie's legs, a man's voice could be heard.

"Bunnie, you're doing fine, you're dilated 5cm."

Bunnie didn't really know what that meant, but she could feel in deep inside that her baby was coming. "Does that mean it's close?"

"No; you've got to reach 10cm first, but you're moving along nicely."

Not what she wanted to hear.

It had been almost three hours that Bunnie had been lying on that bed, trying to give birth. She could feel her baby in her belly, waiting at the gate, ready to push through, but not until it was ready. The doctor had been keeping track of Bunnie's progress and although it was slow going, her water had broke and she had dilated to 9cm, so she would soon be giving birth.

"How are you?"

"Alright. It's just… ung."

"Another contraction?"

"Yeah. Mah body wants this baby out, but he doesn't want out yet."

Shadow was as impatient as ever, though for the sake of his wife tried to avoid the obvious question that eventually came out.

"How long does this child birth thing take?"

"Well, Ah'm sorry if Ah messed up yah schedule any, but Ah was hopin' this would take as little time as possible."

"I was in labor for almost 20 hours with the twins."

Bunnie scowled at Tikal with that little tidbit, not liking the idea of this lasting most of a day. "Yah're not helpin'."

Dr. Quack called out to try and calm Bunnie down. "You're doing fine, you could give birth any time now. The average is about 12 hours, but that includes the contractions, the water breaking and the whole mess."

Bunnie only heard the "12 hour" bit which still sounded like 12 hours too much.

"Just stay calm, you're looking good."

"Yeah, and I'm getting some good footage here."

Shadow looked down and saw Omochao positioned past the foot of the bed, jut behind the doctor's head. "Can you find another angle to take your shots? That's my wife under there."

"Are you kidding me? This is the money shot, you won't see this on those lame broadcast TV shows on the Discovery Channel."

"Omochao! Pan… Out!"

"It's attitudes like this that are killing the independent film makers."

"Aaaaaahh!"

Bunnie's scream redirected Shadow's attention back to her. With Shadow distracted, Omochao ignored the video neophyte's order.

"Hold on hun, it'll be over soon enough."

Tikal was still at Bunnie's other side, as calm and demure as ever. "You're doing fine, Bunnie, just a little bit more."

From under the sheet, the doctor called out. "O.K. You're already to go. At the next contraction, push."

"Nnngh." Bunnie grunted as she squeezed her abdomen, subconsciously forgetting to breathe while she clamped down.

"Breathe Bunnie, don't forget to breathe."

Bunnie fought her instinct to hear Tikal's advice, and took in a breath.

"Steady Bunnie, take even breaths and keep pushing; just go with the contractions and this'll be a lot easier." The doctor returned under the sheet.

Bunnie continued to alternate between breathing and pushing, taking signals from her body to push and hints from Tikal to breathe. Through all of this Shadow was left dumbfounded, wondering just what he was supposed to do; he didn't want to say anything as he had no experience in the delivery room, unlike the doctor and the recent mother of twins, but he didn't want to stand around like an idiot.

"Alright Bunnie, hang in there, you're doing fine." Shadow couldn't think of anything else to say, and in hindsight thought that rather asinine piece of advice sounded really silly, as if it proved he knew nothing of what was going on.

Despite the pain and panic, Bunnie heard Shadow's pep talk, and although she thought it was pretty worthless, at least she knew that there was someone as scared and unsure as herself.

"That's it, just a bit more."

Bunnie clamped down and forced down her abdomen, trying to eject the large lump that was tearing through her lower body, splitting her in half. It was so unbearable that she didn't know if she was going to faint or if the pain was going to keep her conscious through this whole ordeal.

"A little bit more, one more push."

Bunnie screamed as she gave it her all.

Below her, the baby was now freed and the doctor was able to pull him out completely. Putting a finger in the child's mouth, Dr. Quack cleaned out some fluid and the tot responded with a gag and a wail.

Everyone's attention jumped to the sheet over Bunnie's legs. Tikal had a big smile on her face, while all the color drained from Shadow's.

"Congratulations, it's a boy, a healthy baby rabbit."

Bunnie let out one sob of relief over the end of the sharp pain, combined with immense joy over being a new mother.

The doctor cut the umbilical cord and cleaned up the baby a bit before bringing him to his mother. Bunnie, despite being exhausted from the monumental act of child birth, was too excited to show even the slightest bit of weakness, and reached out to take her child in arms. Although she was more than strong enough, the energy of the moment left her speechless.

"Oh, he's so beautiful." Tikal was looking over Bunnie's shoulder, though is was a little hard to see since Bunnie was holding him with his head to her right so that Shadow would have the better view. "You must be proud, Shadow?"

Shadow was totally ensnared, and like Bunnie, was left with no words on his tongue, blown away like a mighty wind had scooped into his mouth and stolen his voice the moment he heard that first whine.

Tikal could see the look on the new parents' faces and knew she was not going to get much out of them for several minutes; Bunnie was almost crying, overwhelmed by the new life that she wrought into the world, while Shadow looked completely dumbfounded. Eventually the echidna had to snap them out of it.

"So, have you chosen a name for him yet?"

Bunnie was the only one cognizant enough to answer. "We thought about that a lot over the last few weeks. If it was a girl, we were gonna name her 'Sonya', but for a boy, we chose 'Randy'."

"That's a nice name, any special meaning behind it?"

"Not really, it just sounded like a nice name."

"Yeah, but if he takes after me in the least, it would be quite appropriate." Shadow had a freakish grin over his face.

"Oh, would yah stop that, or Ah'm calling him Bentley like I wanted."

Tikal giggled. "Bentley's a nice name, for a hippo."

An hour later, Bunnie was getting some much needed rest and Shadow was sitting in the chair next to her, holding their son in his arms.

"So, you're my son."

Randy was also asleep, wrapped inside a small white blanket that emphasized the jet-black fur he inherited from his father.

"Hello there, little guy; I don't know if you know who I am, but I'm your daddy."

The little rabbit didn't respond.

"It's pretty funny really, a guy like me, having a kid; you know, you're my first. I'm a little new at this so I hope you'll understand if I'm not perfect; but then, this is your first too."

Shadow looked to his right at his sleeping wife.

"You've met your mother, I'm sure you know her pretty well. I don't know, you'll probably like her more than me; I'm not all that likeable, but I hope that I'll still be a good father, and you'll like me anyway."

"When I came home that day, after being gone so long, I really wasn't expecting coming home to you. I'm not sad or angry or anything, I just wanted to get back to Bunnie and Rouge." Shadow stopped abruptly at saying the bat's name. How was he supposed to explain loving another woman to his son? He could lie or at least play down the relationship; but Shadow was apprehensive about demeaning Rouge in any way, she meant far too much to him to ever speak less than sincere about. Looking down at his son, he realized that the small one wouldn't understand, so he had some time to come up with some explanation.

"Where was I? Oh yeah. For more than a month I was freezing my butt off in the mountains trying to help some people from a dragon invasion. Don't worry the dragons aren't going to come and eat you, they're not really bad, it was just a misunderstanding. So I had been gone for more than a month, I was very lonely, and I missed your mother very much; I was so lonely, that I almost sought solace with another woman that I met there. Don't get me wrong, I love your mother and would never betray her; but I was so lonely. When I got back and she jumped into my arms, I just wanted everything to get back to normal; but then when I saw you, everything completely unraveled."

Shadow thought about the huge changes in his life.

"It's pretty amazing, how much of an impact one life can have on someone. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I don't hate you for coming into my life, it was just something I didn't expect. You turned my life upside down, even more than anything before, but you didn't destroy it, it's just changing, and I'm going to change along with it."

"My boy, my life has undergone a lot of radical shifts, and I think this one will be the best. I'm going to be the best father that I can, and I'm going to raise you in a warm and loving home; you're going to grow up to be a fine young man."

"As you grow up, you're going to hear a lot of things about me. I know that a lot of what you hear is going to sound pretty amazing, and you might think that I want you to follow in my footsteps or that I expect you to be like me, because that's not something you should aspire to. I just want you to grow up happy, and strong, and to be as good as you can be; and more importantly, to not have the heart of darkness that I have."

"Randy, if you can just be a kind and gentle person, I'd be happy."

Shadow stopped and simply looked down at the boy in his arms. He thought about just what kind of father he would be, would he be a good father, could he be the father that this little boy needed; or would it turn into a disaster, would he be a terrible father whose darkness would hurt him and corrode him. For now, that didn't matter, he only knew that he was going to be a father, and that was all that mattered; come Hell or high water, he was going to be a father.

"I'll be a good father, I have to be…"

The hedgehog sat for a minute, just sitting calmly, like he was waiting to fall asleep.

After a minute, Shadow looked up from his son. In the darkness, a pair of yellow lights was seen, like two eyes spying on them, studying every little detail.

"What? Omochao?"

"Hello."

"Have you been recording this whole time?!"

"Yeah, lots of good footage too."

"You little…"

"Waaaaahhhh!!"

"Now look what you did, you woke him up."

Rouge turned off the video and laid back in the chair. That was a memory that would last forever, but it also saddened her, because it wasn't her memory. It was one more reason that she regretted leaving Mobotropolis.

To be continued


	44. Chapter 6: Welcome Home

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 6: Welcome Home**_

Rouge regretted not being there for Randy's birth, but she met the little guy a few months later.

Ding, dong.

From behind the door, a shout was heard trying to beckon whomever was at the door. "Hang on a minute!"

After a few seconds, the handle to the door shook and the wooden panel swung away.

"Hello…"

Behind the door emerged a rather haggard creature whose fur wasn't dirty, but not well kept.

"Rouge?"

"Hiya sweet stuff, you look like you've been through the ringer."

"Everyday for the last few months now." Shadow then realized that he was inside and Rouge was outside. "Come in, come in."

Rouge stepped in and let Shadow close the door behind her. "You and Bunnie really need to cut back on the bedroom exercises, you look like you haven't slept in weeks."

"Very funny, but sleep doesn't come easy around here."

"The little tyke keeping you awake?"

"Don't you know it. Now, keep your voice down, he's taking a nap right now and I don't want to mess up the peace and quiet."

Shadow led Rouge into the den, in the middle of the room was a small pen. Inside was a small figure, a rabbit with jet-black fur and red highlights, wearing a blue wool pair of jammies. Lying next to him was a strange pink doll in a red dress, a rather perverse and familiar looking figurine.

"Ooo, is this little Randy?"

"Yep, he's actually asleep for a change, totally unlike at night."

"That explains you."

Rouge gazed on the black furred rabbit that was asleep in the pen, too tired to awaken even after the doorbell and call from his father.

"He is such a cute little guy, cute in that Anakin Skywalker as a kid kind of cute. I bet he'll grow up to be the perfect little Darth Vader." Rouge changed her tone to do the best James Earl Jones impersonation she could, complete with deep heavy breathing. "Just like his father."

"Oh knock it off."

"I'm really sorry I couldn't be here for his birth, I would love to have seen it in person. Photos just don't do the event justice."

"No, you're right. I've seen the baby pictures a lot, and they just don't cut it; not like the memories of that day."

"So, where's Bunnie?"

"She's out tending the fields; they're trying to stave off an outbreak of 'blight' or something."

"Is that serious?"

"A few crops are at risk, but most aren't. All the same they'd be better off without it."

Rouge giggled a bit.

"What is it?"

"Oh, I was just noticing what a modern man you are: Bunnie's working while you stay home and look after the baby."

"Oh, yeah."

"Goodness, you have mellowed out, such a comment would have normally sent you over the edge. And all you have to say is 'oh, yeah'."

"Yeah, I guess." Shadow winced when he realized he just answered with an equally stupid response. "Dang, I really am losing it."

Rouge giggled. "Don't be so hard on yourself, I think you make an excellent daddy, even if your hair is totally messed up."

Shadow backed away while Rouge ran her hands into his spines and rubbed, making the twisted hair even worse than before.

"Stop that, you have no idea how much work it takes to get it messed up just right. Now you've totally ruined it."

"Sorry, I had no idea you were so concerned about your outward appearance."

"And this coming from someone who dresses in leather with huge pink hearts?"

"And this coming from someone who runs around naked?"

Shadow and Rouge shared a short laugh.

"So what have you been up to?"

"I've been here, and there. I've been taking it easy, went on a cruise, did a few things that I've always wanted to do."

"Sounds like you've had it good."

"For a while it was alright, but it was getting boring. I'm sure a long vacation sounds awesome, but it isn't. I've been thinking that I need a change, something new, I need to find something with meaning for my life, something that uses my skills to the fullest."

"What, you going to become a prostitute?"

Slap!

Shadow still giggled, even after being hit.

"Now you had better watch that mouth of yours in front of your son, I don't want him to pick up such things, and I'm sure Bunnie doesn't want that either."

"O.K. O.K. I give." Shadow still spurted out one last laugh. "So what are you planning?"

"Well, I have a degree in economics, so I figured I'd start a business; I'm making up some plans and probing around for a place."

"Oh yeah, around here?"

"No, I'm just here for a visit, I've already got some lawyers working on the paper work."

"And what is it?"

"A night club, a hot little spot where people can party and have fun." Rouge's voice drifted off. "And maybe meet somebody."

Shadow noticed the change in tone. "Are you alright?"

"What me? I'm fine."

"I've been married for six months now; 'fine' does not mean fine, it means something's wrong and you have to guess what."

Rouge was very incensed by Shadow's implication. "Excuse me, are you saying I'm hiding something?"

"Could you keep your voice down, you'll wake Randy."

Rouge quieted right down. "Sorry."

Shadow leaned forward to check on the little rabbit. "Now, is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Rouge laid back in the couch. "A lot of things have been happening lately, and I've been doing a lot of thinking about how my life turned out, and about things that I might have wanted to turn out differently. Do you remember way back when we were captured by the echidnas?"

"I remember almost getting blown up when Robotnik attacked."

"Before that. Do you remember what we talked about on that park bench? About the future?"

"My mind's a little fuzzy on that."

"You told me about your family, and how you 'grew up' in a nice home; you compared that to the island and how peaceful it was."

"Oh that."

"Yes that; at the rate you were going, you were going to get all mushy on me. I swear if I didn't stop you, in five minutes you'd have proposed to me." Rouge paused. "Perhaps I shouldn't have stopped you."

"What? Marry you? Ha."

The two shared a brief laugh, trying to keep their voices down for fear of waking Randy.

"I never told you this, but I often wished that I hadn't stopped you; it was a very different you that was on that bench. When you spoke, your voice had a certain warmth to it, usually hidden by your normally gruff attitude; but when I heard it, I knew that I was speaking to someone totally different, almost decent. At that moment, I realized that you were very special, that you weren't just another jerk who was good for a wild time or a nice roll in the sack; I knew that you would be a good husband, and a great father. For the longest time, I wondered why you were helping Knothole, but they were in good hands."

Shadow sat there thinking about what Rouge was saying; he didn't like thinking of himself as a peaceful gentle soul, and always regarded himself as a gruff and vicious little bastard. In the end, he had to admit to Rouge that he really wasn't that bad underneath, and virtually all of his menacing exterior was buried deep with the birth of Randy.

"You know, you really are a kind and decent person at heart, and I often wished that we really did get married. When we were together, I felt something, a spark, a passion; I think it was true love. It was a powerful burning in my heart, a feeling that charged my body with so much life, something I thought was impossible; it could only have been one thing. I suppose I never really appreciated it, and I never understood it until that day. When I let you go, and left Mobotropolis, I felt a deep hole, something that chilled my body like a block of ice in my stomach." Rouge looked in the crib. "I knew I was doing the right thing when I gave you up to Bunnie, but it sure didn't feel good."

"Do you regret leaving, or just how things turned out?"

"I'm not sure, but I keep telling myself that if I stayed, I'd regret it all the more."

"You said you didn't want to get in my and Bunnie's way, that you wanted nothing to stand in the way of us being married. In my opinion, you wouldn't have; and if you came back to Mobotropolis, I doubt you'd totally wreck our family."

Rouge thought about it, after convincing herself to leave, this was not something she wanted to hear now.

"I don't have any real family, and Bunnie hasn't seen any of hers since Robotnik was here. You're the only extended family either of us have, and it'd be so much better if you were a bit closer."

Below them, almost as if the negative emotions were filling the air with a biting cold, Randy was growing restless and awoke from his nap with a wail.

"Waaaaaahhh!"

"Oh no." Shadow got off the couch and walked over to Randy's pen. Reaching over, Shadow pulled the small rabbit from the crib and into his arms. "Quiet now, daddy's here."

Shadow rocked Randy in his arms.

Rouge looked at Shadow standing there with Randy, the sight of a kind loving father made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside; it also brought dreams of what could have been. She saw herself as a small child being rocked in Shadow's arms, pretending that he was the father that she never knew; Rouge hoped that at one point, the man that didn't want to be her father, held her like this and that even he couldn't be all bad.

The bat couldn't stay in her dream state long; Randy's crying just couldn't be drowned out.

"Does he need his diaper changed?"

"I don't think so, I changed it a little while ago; he's probably hungry." Shadow looked down at his son. "'Cause you were a naughty little boy and didn't eat all your strained carrots, didn't you?"

Shadow started walking towards the kitchen, passing Rouge who got up and followed him to the fridge.

Shadow lifted Randy over his shoulder while he opened the fridge to find some baby bottles. He pulled one out, almost filled with a white liquid and kicked the door closed. He sat the bottle on the counter, and then opened a cupboard to get a pot out, all with one hand while balancing the baby with the other.

Rouge saw how much trouble Shadow was going through and came up to him. "Let me hold him."

"Oh thanks."

Shadow placed the pot next to the bottle, then with both hands hefted Randy up and into Rouge's arms; the baby hadn't stopped crying the whole time.

Rouge rocked Randy in her arms, holding him above the level of her breasts instead of lower like Shadow was. She figured if she held him in that position, he'd either be smothered under her glands; or if he was hungry like Shadow predicted, might try to take lunch from her, despite not being his mother.

Shadow had filled the pot with water and brought it to a simmer on the stove with the bottle inside it.

"It'll only take a minute."

"And you've gotten good at cooking too."

"I'm not that great, but I have gotten a fair bit of practice with Bunnie working. I suppose that if we got married, my cooking would be phenomenal by comparison."

"Yeesh, if I was going to have to put up with bad humour like this, I'm glad we didn't get married."

Shadow chuckled. "Seriously, how's your cooking now?"

"Improving, but I still have trouble with anything more than 'open box and place in microwave'."

"Uh huh." Shadow turned off the pot and picked up the bottle; grabbing a dishrag, he wiped the water off the bottle. "There we go."

Shadow walked over.

Rouge cradled Randy in her right arm and reached out with her left. "Let me."

Shadow handed the bottle over.

"Here you go little guy."

Randy reached up with his little hands to the bottle to try and pull the bottle to his open mouth; of course, his hands were simply too small, so Rouge had to do it for him.

"You drink all that up and you'll grow big and strong, yes you like your milk, don't you." Rouge glanced at Shadow. "He likes this; is it a formula?"

"Nope, it's Bunnie's."

Rouge was stunned, as she looked down at the bottle and the baby suckling on it, strange ideas danced in her head. She saw Bunnie walking into the barn with a pail, sitting down on a stool, reaching over to milk a cow, that wasn't there… Rouge shook all that nonsense out of her head, and continued to nurse Randy.

Shadow was watching Rouge as she held his son, he grinned when he saw Rouge's reaction, but he too ignored it and admired how motherly Rouge looked holding Randy in her arms.

"You look real good like that, I bet you'll make a good mother someday."

"Thanks, but my arms are getting a bit tired."

"You're just not used to holding him, let's go back to the couch."

Shadow led Rouge back to the comfy chair and they sat back down.

"So, have you thought about settling down and having a family?"

"I've thought about it, sometimes I just can't imagine myself staying at home and raising children, but there are times that I want to settle down and have a family of my own; seeing you again just reminds me of how lonely I am. I envy you, you and your perfect little family."

"Perfect? If this is perfect, why am I so tired?"

"As long as you keep your sense of humour, you'll do fine. Just think, in a few years, Randy will be growing up and becoming an active tot and you'll be able to play with him: playing catch, building sand castles, reading to him at night. Shadow, it'll be something magical. Don't miss it for anything. This may be the greatest challenge you'll face, the biggest test of your life, but the rewards are immense. Don't let it just slip away."

Rouge looked over, Shadow had fallen asleep and was sprawled over the couch; his head was tilted right back on the back of the chair, and his arms and legs seemed to ooze into the cushions.

"Then again, maybe you can have too much good reward. Good night, Sleepyhead."

Rouge turned back to the rabbit in her arms. "I don't know if you realize this, but your daddy is a very special man. He's done a lot of great things, and he's had to overcome some serious hardships; but for all his accomplishments, his greatest feat was overcoming himself. He was born into this world as a truly dark and twisted creature, forged with an evil intent; but he was able to overcome his own creation and become something better, and broke the mold he was made from. That is not an easy task, and it is not one can accomplish by oneself; he needs help, he needed the help of those around him to get over his terrible secret, and he'll need all the help he can to keep from falling back to the depths. Now you're his son, and you care about him; so you're gonna look after him, right?"

The infant looked up, although he didn't understand what Rouge said, somehow he could tell that she was very serious, and what she said was very important. But it didn't matter, he was hungry, if it was that important, she'd repeat it later, when he could understand.

Rouge thought about how long ago it was that she saw little Randy, he was probably starting to walk and talk, a lot cuter; and if Shadow was any indication, a little terror. She visited them on his first birthday, a small consolation for missing his birth, but even then he was still very small and still a baby. Rouge wondered when would be the best time to go back and see them again, she so wanted to watch Randy grow up, and she had so much to tell him.

To be continued


	45. Chapter 7: Going Home

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

_**Chapter 7: Going Home**_

Rouge watched as the sun rose from the horizon, and the dark sky turned to a bright orange, then a light blue. As she gazed out, she thought about how her life and the life of her two loves turned out. Shadow and Bunnie were happily married and had a son of almost 2 years of age; and last she heard, there was another one on the way. Rouge on the other hand was rather well off and ran one of the hottest nighttime spots in Baltesaria; but although she was wealthy and a hit with the late night crowd, she knew that she was really lonely.

In the time since she left Mobotropolis, she had only gone back twice; shortly after Randy's birth, and then on his first birthday. Two visits in two years, it was hard to believe how distant she was from those two now. But this was what she wanted, she didn't want to interfere in their lives, but a part of her wanted to stay close to them anyway.

Rouge wondered what she was doing to herself. She left Shadow and Bunnie behind, but had not gone very far away. Perhaps it would be better to leave and go far, far away, to put them out of her life, and her out of theirs, forever. Or should she go back, just face up to the fact that she missed them so much, and move back to Mobotropolis. Of course, she wouldn't go back to living with them, that would be too close; but maybe find a place of her own, possibly opening a new club there.

These were thoughts that she had been fraught with before, and like so many times, she pushed them aside to worry about later; it was getting late and Rouge was very tired. Rouge walked over to her bedroom, flicked a light switch next to her door to turn off the apartment lights and went inside.

Rouge laid in bed, while she waited for sleep to come, she imagined that she wasn't lonely under the soft sheets. She so wished she could have Shadow in bed with her, and also Bunnie; but no, she was alone, totally alone.

The bat tossed and turned, the feelings of loneliness were not letting go. She wondered just what she would do if she returned, what would she say to the lovely couple that she left behind so long ago. Rouge knew why she left, she didn't want to get in their way, wanting them to have a happily married life together with nothing to break them apart; perhaps now they were bonded enough that it was safe for Rouge to come back.

No, it was when she was very young that her father ran out on her, and Shadow and Bunnie now had a two-year-old son; she couldn't possibly jinx it now. Maybe she should just pay them a visit, maybe have a bit of fun to remember them, perhaps by some luck, she could…

Rouge shook the thought out of head, she couldn't expect that, she was too busy with the club to even consider starting a family of her own, by herself. She remembered how hard it was for her mother, raising Rouge alone; Rouge had plenty of money, but living above a nightclub was totally inappropriate.

Rouge laid back in bed, trying to push all thoughts out of her head.

Shadow…

Bunnie…

A child…

Family…

Mother…

"How long are you gone for?"

"I'll be back in a week or so. I'll call when I know for certain."

"Have a nice time, you haven't had a decent vacation since starting this place."

"I know, I know. I'll see you in a couple weeks."

Rouge walked outside and dragged her suitcase into the back of her car that was waiting outside. Rouge shielded her eyes from the bright sun, the first time in months that the bat had come out in the day. Opening her purse, Rouge pulled out a pair of sunglasses; the glasses helped her see in the bright day, but it was still pretty bright even through the darkened lenses.

She looked upon her club in the daytime and the large sign in neon letters using a script font that spelt out "Club Rouge". For the last year, she had spent almost every single second inside the building, not even coming out for groceries and other things as she had that all delivered; she was simply too busy making her club a success to bother with anything else. It was her baby, the closest thing she had to a family of her own. In retrospect, it might have been a sad commentary on her life to this point, to be once so carefree and lively, now locked away inside a prison of her own design. She really did need to get out more.

Rouge dropped her purse on the passenger's seat and stepped into the driver's side. She started the engine and put the car in gear. As she drove away, following the roads that she was only vaguely familiar with, Rouge considered when she should return, or if she should even go back at all. Deep down, she wanted to just leave it all behind and start over, go back to the free life, traveling about, looking for adventure; or maybe it was time to settle down, to finally find someone else and put Shadow behind her, and start a family of her own.

For right now, she knew where she was going, and what she wanted to do.

"Yes, who is…" The woman at the door froze when she saw Rouge waiting in the hall.

"Hi, mom."

END

Rouge: "Dear Diary, it has been very lonely these last two years. Just today, I was talking with someone about loneliness and he wanted to write up my story and post it on some stupid internet site. I didn't like that so I gave him a quick boot in the teeth."


End file.
